A COUNTY company has been bought up by motoring giant Vertu in a multi-million pound takeover.
Wiper Blades Ltd, based in Hartlebury, has been taken over by Vertu in a £3.5million deal which sees it come under the umbrella of the national car sales company.
Vertu Motors dealerships operate predominantly under the Bristol Street Motors, Vertu and Macklin Motors brand names.
A spokesperson for Vertu confirmed there were no plans to change the business or its workforce after the acquisition.
They said: "We are delighted to welcome colleagues from the small, dedicated and knowledgeable team at Wiper Blades Limited to the Vertu Motors Group and look forward to working with them.
"It is a highly successful business, and we have no plans to make changes to the business or its colleagues."
Formed in 2005, Wiper Blades Ltd was bought by Vertu for a cash sum of £1.1million and a goodwill payment of £2.4million.
In the year ending August 2021, the business' revenue was £2.2million and a pre-tax profit of £0.5million.
Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors said: "Our e-commerce parts business is performing strongly and the addition of Wiper Blades will be accretive both financially and strategically to that part of the Group.
"The acquisition is in line with our strategy to develop ancillary businesses which complement the core business and enrich our digital capabilities to continue to provide technology leading edge service to our customers."
A team from Worcester-based Thursfields Solicitors helped advise Wiper Blades' shareholders on the sale, with director Gareth Burge and Joe Rollins providing corporate advice, assisted by Lisa Kemp on employment issues and Robert Pettigrew on commercial property matters.
Mr Burge said: "Wiper Blades, which was formed in 2005, is a leading e-commerce business specialising in the online sale of car wiper blades and other associated products.
"We were delighted to advise on its sale to Vertu Motors, one of the UK’s leading automotive retailers with a network of 160 sales and aftersales outlets.
"The businesses make a perfect match and we wish everyone involved the very best for what look like great business prospects.”
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