
Advised Solarsoft Acquisition Limited on a recommended $35 million cash offer for Chelford Group plc
2008

Transaction Summary
Advised Solarsoft Acquisition Limited, a company formed at the direction of Marlin Equity Partners LLC, a US-based private equity firm, on the recommended $35 million cash offer for Chelford Group plc (AIM: CHR)
Transaction Highlights
- Chelford Group plc, a London AIM market listed company, was acquired by Solarsoft Business Systems,a company controlled by Marlin Equity Partners, for a total consideration of some $35 million
- Chelford was a leading provider of specialist solutions in the areas of supply chain management, ERP, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, asset tracking and financials
- The acquisition expanded Solarsoft’s scale of its operations, the range of its product offering and vertical market expertise
- Strata Partners acted as the exclusive financial adviser to Marlin and Solarsoft, advising about all aspects of the public offer
- The team at Strata met an extremely tight timetable with less than 4 weeks from appointment by the client to posting of the offer document
Company Profile
- Solarsoft Business Systems is a supplier of ERP software and IT services to manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers. It has a customer base of over 1,700 companies and employs in the order of 350 staff in Europe, North America and Asia
- Marlin Equity Partners is an independent US-based private equity firm. In November 2007, Marlin announced the closing of a new $300 million institutional private equity fund