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FBC Manby Bowdler Advises on Acquisition of Worcester Hair and Beauty Training Academy- 31/01/2011
West Midlands law firm FBC Manby Bowdler LLP has advised City of Wolverhampton College on its acquisition of a hair and beauty training academy in Worcester.
Gavin Southall, senior partner at FBC Manby Bowdler, assisted by Stuart Downes, advised City of Wolverhampton College on the acquisition of the business and training contracts of Diva Hair & Beauty Academy, which is based in Copenhagen Street in Worcester.
The college has taken on the existing 11 salon staff and will continue to work closely with previous owner Jo Ludlow. Andrew Wynne of FBC Manby Bowdler’s commercial property department also advised on a new lease on the premises.
The Worcester academy will initially train 60 apprentices and 40 14-16 year old learners for hairdressing salons in the Worcester area, while looking to expand the number of training programmes on offer.
Gavin Southall (left), Andrew Wynne (centre) and Georgina Parker (right)
The acquisition is the college’s third in the hairdressing sector, after it acquired Telford-based training provider John Clive Training in 2008. It currently trains more than 250 hairdressing apprentices each year, from salons that include Toni & Guy across the West Midlands, Royston Blythe, Zaks and Nicholas Davis in Wolverhampton, Rizzo and K2 in Shropshire, VIP in Cannock, Steven Burgin salons in Lichfield and Nantwich and Lisa Shepherd’s in Kidderminster and Birmingham.
Last year (2010) the college achieved full accreditation of the Training Quality Standard with excellence in Hairdressing, supporting its strategy to contribute to the up-skilling of the industry and be recognised as a sector expert.
Georgina Parker, Director of Sales, Marketing & Commercial at the college, said: “We have a strategy to be the largest, high quality hairdressing apprenticeship provider across the West Midlands region. Having acquired and grown the hairdressing training business in Telford, the Worcester training academy provides us with full coverage across the region.”
Mr Southall said: “Wolverhampton City College continues to grow and spread its excellent training outside Wolverhampton. Once again it has shown how to be successful in its key areas of focus and is a high quality ambassador for the city.”
With 36 partners, FBC Manby Bowdler is one of the largest law firms in the West Midlands. The firm has offices in Wolverhampton, Willenhall, Telford, Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth.