Bath-based vending solutions company, West Country Vending Service, has been purchased by Montagu Group, which is an affiliate company of Tayto Group Ltd (TGL).
The £multi-million deal, which is TGL’s second acquisition in the GB vending-solutions sector, includes West Country subsidiary, Hilton Vending.
TGL owns Golden Wonder, Mr Porky, REAL Crisps, Jonathan Crisp and Tayto, Northern Ireland’s number one brand of crisps, and this acquisition offers the company access to 5,300 operational vending machines across the South West of England and South Wales.
West Country, which turns over £11m per annum, provides a range of products and services, not only managing and outsourcing vending machines but also selling them to a range of clients.
The family-owned organisation services customers across many sectors, including business, industry and leisure.
Paul Allen, chief executive of the Montagu Group, explained: “West Country is a long-established, route-based business with robust strongholds in the areas in which it operates.
“This acquisition is the next progressive step in our strategic development programme and increases our share of the GB vending-solutions sector significantly, bringing an extra 5,300 vending machines online.
“West Country is both disciplined and highly customer-focused with a family-oriented ethos similar to the Tayto Group, which, along with its fixed revenue streams, made it an attractive proposition.”
Tayto Group’s diversification into the vending-solutions sector has increased the company’s turnover, which in the last twelve years, has risen from £19 million and is now in excess of £215m.
Mark Stone, who directs the operations of Montagu Group, explains: “Although we are still in the very early days of our expansion into the GB vending sector, we are making large strides, building our profile and presence rapidly.
“We have acquired more than 12,500 vending machines in the space of a year which, in turn, has increased the Group’s turnover substantially.
“We are aiming for further growth within this sector as we continue to roll out our development plan, which opens up new distribution channels for Tayto Group products, alongside the extensive range of hot and cold drinks and confectionery that our machines carry.”
Dylan Jones, who will carry on in his role as MD of West Country, added: “West Country Vending is delighted to be joining the Montagu family today. We have been proudly serving our region now for 50 years, and all of us welcome the opportunity to take the next step in our development and to be part of a dynamic, fast-growing and customer-driven group.”
Paul concluded: “We have been very impressed with West Country and its skilled management team which has made it, as we perceive, a ‘safe’ business in which to invest as part of a buy-and-build strategy.”
Tayto Group, which is owned by Northern Ireland family, the Hutchinsons, employs almost 2000 people across its operations and is the country’s largest UK-owned crisp and snack manufacturer.
With headquarters in Tayto Castle, Co Armagh, the Group produces more than 25 million bags of snacks and crisps each week across its six sites, which are based in Tandragee, Corby, Scunthorpe, Westhoughton, Wolverhampton and Devon.
Tayto Group’s portfolio includes Tayto, Golden Wonder, Mr Porky, REAL Crisps, Jonathan Crisp and Portlebay Popcorn and its products are currently exported to around 43 countries, including Australia, Dubai, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.
