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Pitchcare Form Strategic Alliance with ALS- 05/10/2009
The e-commerce arm of Pitchcare.com Limited has formed a strategic alliance with Amenity Land Solutions (ALS) with funding from The Co-operative Bank’s Birmingham corporate banking centre.
Kam Johal, Corporate Partner at the Wolverhampton office of West Midlands’ law firm FBC Manby Bowdler advised Wolverhampton-based Pitchcare.com Limited on all the legal aspects of the deal, which secures the jobs of 50 staff and gives the company the foundation for expansion.
Pitchcare’s directors Dave Saltman and former professional footballer John Richards created the company to provide a free and independent website to pass on information in an educative way. The business, which is responsible for the maintenance of the pitch at Molineux, the home ground of newly-promoted Premiership team Wolverhampton Wanderers where John Richards made his name as a prolific striker in the 1970s and early 1980s, enrolls some of the top groundsmen and greenkeepers in the country to pass on their wealth of sports turf knowledge. It now boasts the widest online range of professional and domestic turf care products in the UK.
Telford based ALS is a main UK distributor of sports turf, landscape and amenity supplies for leading businesses including Bayer Environmental Science, Monsanto, Limigran, Scotts, Vitax, Novozymes. It was formed 21 years ago in 1988 and has an established range of products known as “Natural Solutions” using organic and biological remedies as an alternative to the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers to improve plant health.
The alliance between the two companies will allow for nationwide distribution of their products and will help to promote turf care to a much wider audience.
Dave Saltman, Managing Director of Pitchcare, said; “We were disappointed when our bankers proved to be reluctant to work with us on the deal. The Co-operative Bank was recommended to us and were positive from the outset. Within a week of viewing business plans and forecasts, they gave us the green light to move the deal towards completion. “The synergy of working closely with ALS will allow our continued expansion plans to take effect more rapidly.”
Jonathan Carr, Managing Director of ALS, said; “This alliance gives the Pitchcare online store the centralised infrastructure, storage and delivery systems needed for the efficient dispatch of goods. There will also be economies of scale that will offer better value to customers of both businesses. “It’s an exciting new business model for the future of our industry, combining the internet with traditional skills.”
Andy Benson, Corporate Manager at the Birmingham corporate banking centre, said; “We were aware of Pitchcare’s outstanding reputation within the industry and their proposed alliance with ALS looked to strengthen the offering to their customers even more. We were pleased to get involved and confident that this alliance is a good move for all the parties involved. “This deal shows that even in today’s uncertain economic climate, we are still very much open for business and lending to companies with impressive business strategies.”
Ms Kam Johal said: “We were delighted to be able to contribute to the continuing national growth of an innovative company which has its roots so firmly in Wolverhampton. Pitchcare is a shining example of the entrepreneurial spirit of the city.”