Under the terms of the deal, which was announced yesterday (19 Spetember), all 40 of Enviro Wipes’ staff will be retained but directors and founders George Parker and Alan Green will leave the business.
Parker, 65, is retiring, while Green is unsure of his plans going forward. The two will stay on for around two months to hand over key clients and contracts. It is as yet undecided who will step into their roles.
Finance director Phil Walker, who has been with the Bradford-based company since 2001, will also remain in his post for the next few months to ensure a smooth transition before also leaving in early 2017.
Walker said: “We are all delighted as Lindström is a company that is very similar to us in its ethos, as it is all about quality service.
“The main focus for Lindström is business as usual, to invest in our business, our factory and in our staff, which is another reason why we chose them as the right partner to pick up the baton and run with it.”
Lindström already has one other British site, a 35-staff premises in Bedford opened in 2001, which supplies and launders work uniforms. It is the firm's first UK move into the textile wiper services market.
Lindström UK managing director Soresh Meeda said: “Joining forces with Enviro Wipes provides a great opportunity for us to start with a totally new service in the textile market. Our new partner has a solid foundation, great products and fantastic customers.”
Founded in 1992, £3.1m-turnover Enviro Wipes mainly supplies recyclable industrial wipes to the printing sector. It supplies a range of products, including soap, gloves, protective creams and storage bins.
It was known as the Printers’ Cloth Company until 2013 and has around 1,500 customers.
“When I joined in 2001 it was a small enterprise, since that time we have trebled our turnover, we are now number one in the market. It has just been great,” added Walker.
In June Enviro Wipes was hit by a blaze that was attended by 40 firefighters from West Yorkshire Fire Service.
In 2015, Lindström turned over around £233m. It employs 3,200 staff in 24 countries and says that more than a million people wear its workwear every day.
It plans to increase turnover by £154m during the next five years, with acquisitions a main strategy in achieving this goal.
Corporate finance advice for the deal was provided to Enviro Wipes by Greater-Manchester based Camlee Group with legal advice from Gordons.
