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t’s not completely unheard of, but neither is it an everyday occurrence that a KBS Corporate Deal Executive finds themselves working to sell a business for a television personality. There was a prominent TV connection when we sold Climb Online, the company founded in 2015 by ‘The Apprentice’ winner Mark Wright along with, of course, investment from the BBC show’s central figure, Lord Alan Sugar. Kaitlin Warburton recently had the responsibility of seeking a buyer for Hogarth Antiques Ltd, which comprised a brace of pawnbroker shops in Bradford city centre owned by Tim Hogarth, a mainstay of the Dickinson’s Real Deal programme on ITV ever since it first aired in 2006. Tim may not be as familiar a face to most viewers as his perma-tanned colleague David Dickinson, but there was

Not only was it an acceptable offer but one that yielded an even greater return for Tim than had originally been anticipated. “The transaction value was based on the value of Tim’s pledge book at completion and consideration for the value of any layaway stock/ customer deposits,” added Kaitlin. “Once exclusivity had been agreed and we moved towards completion, it was agreed the purchase price would reflect the value of the pledge book at completion and the layaway customer stock, in line with the gold price on the day of completion. “This resulted in the transaction value being increased on the day of completion, resulting in the client receiving a larger sum of money than expected.” Another aspect of the sale that delighted Tim was that he felt convinced the buyer KBS Corporate had identified as the best fit for Hogarth Antiques would continue to care for the interests of his customers and six employees.

a particular reason why he wanted to sell his business – and it involved his TV commitments. As well as wanting to spend more time focusing on his Red House Antiques Centre in York, Tim had series 19 of Dickinson’s Real Deal fast approaching when the sale of Hogarth Antiques Ltd was being completed in the spring of 2023 – filming was due to begin in Stoke-on Trent on April 22nd. Kaitlin’s diligent work resulted in the shops being sold to Harvey and Thompson Ltd (H&T) who operate the UK’s largest pawnbroking chain.

“It was absolutely 100% important to me to make sure the staff, some of whom I had trained up and had worked for me since leaving school, were looked after and in good hands,” said Tim. “I had great confidence the transition would prove to be nice and easy for the staff to move over and I knew that would be the priority for H&T as well.”

“I was happy, it was an easy process and KBS handled it well. I would recommend KBS Corporate to anyone who wants to explore a business sale and is seeking sound advice."

While he had no specific new plans in the pipeline when the sale was completed, Tim’s idea was to invest the extra time he would have available on developing his existing business interests. “I’m looking to spend more time at Red House Antiques,” he added. “Having the Bradford shops was quite intense and took up a lot of time, which meant I couldn’t spend as much time at Red House.” Kaitlin was delighted with how the process had transpired, saying: “Overall, it was a pleasure to work with Tim throughout this sale and he was very understanding and cooperative throughout the process, sharing information and hosting meetings. “He was more than happy to disclose information to the potential buyers and host various meetings virtually and on location in Bradford.” If you are thinking about selling your business, call us for a confidential discussion on 0161 258 0118 or enquire via our secure website www.kbscorporate.com

Explaining how the sale procedure had evolved, Kaitlin said: “Once the opportunity went live, our research team worked on targeting potential buyers to acquire the assets of Hogarth Antiques. Quickly, several market leading pawnbrokers/jewellers were interested in pursuing the opportunity, wanting to meet with Tim and discuss the business in more detail. “We had initial conversations with several credible interested parties who showed great promise from the get-go and were all very keen to visit the sites in Bradford and get their hands on the opportunity. “As the process continued, it became evident there were two strong parties who could potentially purchase Hogarth Antiques. We were negotiating with both parties up until an offer came through from Harvey and Thompson Ltd, which Tim and I were more than happy to accept.”

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