Van-washer Kevin uses his loaf in becoming business owner

UK (SANEPR.com) July 4, 2008 -- Kevin Rowbottom liked the company so much, he bought it! And, with the help of the Commercial department of Rotherham Solicitors Oxley & Coward, Kevin is now the boss of
B Thornton & Sons bakers in Masbrough, Rotherham, where he has worked for 27 years.

Kevin was not always part of the bakery’s management team, which makes the story even more remarkable. In fact his first association with the bakery was as a casual worker, van washing every weekend for pocket money when he was just a teenager.

”One of the owners of the bakery, Roger Green, was living nearby. For £2 a week every Sunday, I washed the bakery van,” explains Kevin. “The connection was made from there on, and I started at the bakery proper 27 years ago, doing deliveries and odd jobs. I have worked there ever since. It has been my life for almost 30 years so when the opportunity came up to buy it, I was naturally interested.

”With Oxley and Coward’s help all the legal issues were successfully sorted out without any fuss. I think you need to use professionals when it comes to such things, and I know Oxley & Coward are a good reliable local firm. They have helped everything run smoothly and I am now the proud owner of my own bakery.”

Kevin’s son Ryan is now also employed at the bakery, doing the very same job that his dad did all those years ago – bakery deliveries! B Thornton & Sons remains a family business in the true sense of the word, with partner Tina having a financial stake as well as being Company Secretary.

As well as help and advice from Oxley & Coward, Kevin is grateful to Alliance & Leicester, South Yorkshire Investment Fund, and UK Steel Enterprise, all of whom have worked co-operatively in helping secure Kevin’s buy-out of the bakery with loan funding. Corporate finance and accountancy services have been provided by Peter Armitage and Jackie Saunders of Allotts, another Rotherham firm.


Rebecca Stopford, partner of Oxley & Coward solicitors in Rotherham, said: “It’s a great story. We’re delighted that Kevin chose Oxley & Coward and it was a real pleasure working on the deal. This is just one of the projects that our commercial team have worked on recently. We can handle all aspects of commercial law and are in the market to advise small businesses and start ups right through to larger businesses generally and when entering into major corporate deals.”

The bakery operates from 10pm-6am producing thousands of bread cakes a day for local shops, supermarkets and sandwich businesses across Rotherham and South Yorkshire. It employs 8 people and all the bread is made traditionally.

For further information on Oxley & Coward, visit www.oxcow.co.uk or call 01709 510999.
ENDS

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Ref: OXCOW016 – B Thornton & Sons