Kindness of strangers, first time on Rainmakers
Our weekly free round up of key deals and major moves in the Rainmakers world
Hello Rainmakers
Our premium stories this week have both been about listed companies: the acquisition strategy of Supreme and then yesterday’s IPO of Shawbrook.
But life goes on outside of the markets, if anything the IPOs this week (food group Princes made a debut today) are the exception, rather than the norm.
Around the country we bring you today a few moves behind the scenes and a string of deals in professional services, logistics and consultancy.
This is free to all who have signed up, however Rainmakers subscribers get two unique pieces a week, but also full access to our back catalogue of investigations, scoops, and insights, including updates from The Secret Investor, interviews with entrepreneurs, and the leaders from VC and PE investors like Endless, and River Capital, Foresight, Mercia, Puma and LDC.
We’ve written more than a quarter of million words since starting this Rainmakers newsletter, but we are yet to use the phrase “the kindness of strangers”.
So we weren’t going to let that opportunity pass us by when a company with that name in Cornwall secured £250,000 from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund (SWIF) to help small charities be better at fundraising.
The tech firm builds platforms for volunteer-run organisations that can’t afford the fancy donor management systems that big charities take for granted. Think grassroots organisations combining their bake sales with digital infrastructure.
They’ve already got 1,000+ Church of England parishes using their Cornerstone platform, and now they’re rolling out white-label solutions with the Parish Giving Scheme.
CEO Mathew Neville says traditional high-street lending wasn’t an option for the young tech firm, which is where SWIF can plug the gap.
Fund manager FSE Group, who also backed them two years ago from the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund, clearly reckons there’s money to be made in helping people be nice.
Although it’s likely it will be another quarter of a million words before we write “the kindness of strangers” again in this publication…
::
With mergers and acquisitions reportedly on the rise in the transport and logistics sector, a West Yorkshire family haulage business which can trace its roots back to 1918 is the latest to follow this trend. Longs of Leeds, which provides warehousing and distribution services and boasts a fleet of over 100 trucks, has been acquired by Bradford-headquartered Expect Distribution. The deal provides an exit for Longs of Leeds’ owners Andrew and Stephen Long, while allowing Expect Distribution to continue its expansion in the Yorkshire area.
In a tough economic climate, many national and international operators in this industry are seeing the benefits of growing through acquisition and the advantages this generates through economies of scale. Expect Distribution first hit the road back in 1988 when it was known as Pennine Parcels and had just four vehicles. From these humble beginnings it has grown to employ around 450 people. Today its clients include household cleaning brand Astonish, Card Factory and a number of pharmaceutical companies.
::
Cortus Advisory, has started The Incoex Alliance, with similar businesses in France and Germany.
Nicola Merritt, Cortus founder and the 2024 Rainmaker of the Year in her native North West, described the alliance as “a natural evolution” of what Cortus does.
“It allows us to work closely with trusted partners across Europe, offering consistent, high-quality transaction support,” she said.
Working with Mortier & Associés (France), and Auricon (Germany) the hook up is being flagged as a “strategic international partnership uniting leading mid-market independent firms in Transaction Advisory Services.”
Cortus and Mortier started working together in 2024, but adding Auricon gives the three firms “a unified European platform for cross-border collaboration”.
The cities covered by the partnership are London, Manchester, Birmingham, Paris, Marseille, Nantes, Düsseldorf, and Dortmund and it’s designed to meet help each other out on financial due diligence, restructuring advice, valuations, and financial modelling.
There’s also a hint of more to come, as long as new partners “share its commitment to delivering high-quality, independent support for cross-border transactions”.
::
Nottingham-based Phenna Group has added another brick to its global growth strategy after acquiring Adelaide consultancy BCA Concepts, a specialist in building code and accessibility advice.
The deal is Phenna’s 20th acquisition of 2025, reinforcing a strategy that’s clearly well-structured and showing no signs of losing its momentum in the foundations of the TICC sector.
Founded in 2019, BCA Concepts brings more than 25 years of combined industry experience, earning a reputation for precision, professionalism and helping clients keep projects up to code, literally.
Phenna Group CEO Phil Marshall said: “The addition of BCA Concepts further strengthens our footprint in Australia and enhances the specialist technical expertise we can offer across the region. Their reputation, technical skills and client relationships are an excellent platform for growth, and I’m very excited to support their continued success as part of Phenna Group.”
Phenna was advised by RSM and Thomson Geer, while BCA Concepts received advice from RSP and Holding Redlich.
::
BK plus has added serious balance to its books with the arrival of two long-standing accountancy firms, a move that adds up to major national growth and a stronger UK footprint.
Stoke-on-Trent’s Geens Chartered Accountants and Sheffield’s Wells Richardson bring a combined 250 years of number-crunching heritage, having guided generations of families and businesses through profit, loss and everything in between.
Geens, founded in 1884, doesn’t just boost bk plus’s presence in Staffordshire; it also brings a new line of business that really counts: probate and estate administration, backed by ICAEW accreditation.
Wells Richardson, established in 1916, strengthens the firm’s northern reach with its hands-on, no-nonsense approach to SME support, perfectly aligned with bk plus’s people-first values.
Backed by Palatine and launched in 2021, bk plus continues to multiply its impact, now spanning 33 offices, 650 staff and a growing portfolio of audit, tax, restructuring and advisory services.
With momentum like this, it seems the firm’s expansion isn’t just on the books; it’s a growth story that’s really adding up.
::
This is your last chance to secure a ticket for the Rainmaker Awards to the East Midlands.
The Awards will bring together the East Midlands deals community to celebrate the best deals and teams from the past 12 months, as voted for by the corporate finance community themselves in a one firm, one vote system.
The casual dress code will swap the traditional tuxedos and long speeches for an evening that focuses on recognising and celebrating the best work from the year.
The night will provide an opportunity to network with the leading individuals and firms in the region.
::
Thank you for subscribing to Rainmakers.
We believe in good journalism that is worthy of your support. Please share this edition of Rainmakers so we can grow the message further and wider.
The insights and commentary we share with you are rooted in the trust we have built in the business community.
We’re also on LinkedIn - please join our Rainmakers community group for updates and offers and opportunities to comment.
If you have something you think we should look at, then either reply to this newsletter or email michael.taylor@thebusinessdesk.com.
Rainmakers is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.