Torbay legal team on the ball with football club acquisition

Newly-merged law firm Kitson Boyce has notched up another high-profile deal with the sale of a top professional football club.

Kitson Boyce has played a leading role in the sale of Sky Bet League One English Football League Wycombe Wanderers to a Kazakh-based billionaire.

The firm advised US-based owner Rob Couhig’s company Feliciana EFL Ltd on the sale of its 90 per cent share in Wycombe to Blue Ocean Partners II Limited. That company is owned by Mikheil Lomtadze who is the CEO and founder of the Kazakh-based Kaspi.kz, a leading technology company in central Asia.

Corporate partners Cris Boyce and Steve Hanbury along with commercial property partnerJoe Pengelly advised on the deal, continuing their relationship with Couhig whom they advised on the purchase of the Buckinghamshire-based EFL club in 2020. Will Kelley of Mark Holt & Co accountants also advised on the financial aspects of the sale.

Cris Boyce said: “We are delighted to have completed the deal on behalf of Rob and his team which will see significant further investment into Wycombe Wanderers in the future. It further demonstrates our ability to advise on strategic deals involving sellers and purchasers across international territories and timezones whilst growing our reputation with football clubs here in England.”

Rob Couhig, who will continue as Chairman of Wycombe Wanderers during the transition of ownership, said: “When I first began looking at investing in English football, I was very fortunate that Cris Boyce and his firm were recommended to me. Cris has the unique perspective of actually knowing what it’s like to co-own a club.

He, Steve, and Joe were a huge part of our successful purchase of our initial share of Wycombe, our further investment in it, and our recent sale of our holdings. At every stage, I have found his advice to be both practical and legally astute. I have recommended his team and him to other prospective purchasers. I know that if I invest in another club, Cris will be my first call.”

The firm has advised on previous deals involving both EFL and National League clubs and is currently advising investors on future acquisitions. Kitson Boyce recently secured a top 10 South West ranking in Experian’s 2023 UK and Ireland M&A Review – the highest ranked regional firm in the survey.

The authoritative review, which is based on announced mergers, acquisitions and equity market transactions worth over £500,000, listed the firm in 8th place with 10 deals done at that level. Corporate lawyers at the firm also completed a further 40 confidential and smaller deals which were not recorded on the Experian MarketIQ 2023 database.

Kitson Boyce was formed on October 1, 2023, following the merger of Kitsons and Boyce Hatton. The firm has offices in Torquay, Exeter, Plymouth and Totnes.