Gateley, the professional services group, has acquired Groom Wilkes & Wright LLP (GWW) for up to £9m.

Founded more than 20 years ago, GWW is a boutique IP firm specialising in every aspect of trademark and design law, representing clients across all sectors from start-ups to several of the biggest brand-owning companies globally.

For the year ended 5 April 2025, GWW delivered revenue of £4.7m, with corporatised profit before tax of £1.4m. As at 5 April 2025, GWW had net assets of £0.3m.

Led by senior partners Trevor Wright and Katy Adams, GWW will operate within Gateley’s Business Services Platform and will continue to trade under the name Groom Wilkes & Wright.

The Platform combines the commercial expertise of IP and dispute resolution lawyers within Gateley Legal along with trade mark and patent attorneys Adamson Jones and life sciences patent attorneys Symbiosis IP, both acquired by the Group in 2022.

Rod Waldie, CEO of Gateley, said: “I am delighted to welcome Groom Wilkes & Wright to the Group. This strategic acquisition will extend our reach in trade mark work across our consultancy and legal services teams who operate in this field.

“The Acquisition forms part of our acquisitive and organic growth plan to develop a distinct and innovative intangible assets offering that further builds on the extensive expertise we have in the market and where we are already seeing huge potential for further growth.” 

Trevor Wright, senior partner and founder of GWW, said: “I’m thrilled that my colleagues and I are joining Gateley today.

“Since our first meeting I have been impressed by their strategic vision of building deep expertise in a broad range of trade mark and wider IP professional services, and by the progress they have made to date in delivering that strategy.

“We share the same core values of a commitment to excellence in client service, delivered as a team. I am very grateful to my colleagues for all their hard work and dedication to this point. Gateley will be a fantastic new home for them and for the GWW business.”

Bespoke Kitchen Foods, a provider of innovative vegetarian and vegan products for the pub and casual dining market, has secured investment from LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group. Based in Coalville, Leicestershire, Bespoke supplies premium products to branded pub and restaurant chains and food wholesalers supplying the foodservice channels. Its products are developed specifically to meet customer requirements and include sweet and savoury baked and formed products. Founded in 2008, Bespoke has grown rapidly, with revenue increasing 18% on average over the last three years. In January 2025, it opened a new production facility near its headquarters to further increase its manufacturing capacity, raising its headcount to over 100. This growth has been supported by the rising popularity of vegetarian and vegan categories and more health-conscious dining. According to market research provider IMARC Group, the UK’s vegan and vegetarian food market is growing at over 11% and is expected to reach £1 billion in size by 2033. LDC is backing the firm’s management team, led by CEO Sam Tidball. The private equity investor will support the business’s organic and acquisitive growth strategy, which is underpinned by expansion into new segments, including high street casual dining chains. The investment was led by LDC’s East Midlands and East of England team, including investment director Simon Peacock, and partner and head of the East Midlands and East of England David Bains, supported by investment executive Josh McHugh. Following the transaction, Simon and David will join Bespoke’s board as non-executive directors alongside Chris Copestake as executive chairman. Chris is a foodservice industry veteran, bringing decades of food and drink industry experience to the role, including more than 4 years as chair and then CEO of private equity-backed food ingredient specialist Freshcut Foods, and as founder of soups and sauces business TSC. Robert Burrell will also join the board as CFO, bringing strong experience in both food manufacturing and hospitality from previous roles at Geary’s Bakery, Denby and The Mellors Group. Sam Tidball, CEO of Bespoke, said: “We’re at a pivotal moment in our business journey. Consumer preferences continue to evolve, and more people than ever before are choosing to reduce meat consumption when eating out. “Partnering with LDC, an investor with deep sector experience based right on our doorstep, will help us to seize opportunities for growth in new categories and markets, all while continuing to provide exceptional culinary experiences for our customers right across the UK.” Simon Peacock, investment director at LDC, added: “We’ve been investing in market-leading food and drink businesses for decades, and Bespoke is a fantastic example of the innovation and ambition that characterise the sector. “Sam and the team are well positioned to take advantage of rising demand for their products among an increasingly health-conscious customer base, as well as to make strategic acquisitions in a highly fragmented market. We’re looking forward to using our experience to support them as they pursue their goals over the next few years.” A debt facility was provided by OakNorth, which was led by director of debt finance, Ian Fairclough. LDC was advised by Food Strategy Associates on commercial and operational diligence (Robert Lawson, Richard Wyborn, Nigel Devine) with support from Future of Foodservice (Simon Stenning), Coppett Hill on Go-To-Market DD (Dave Kirby and Harry Von Behr), Cooper Pary on corporate finance (Tom Summers), Cortus Advisory on financial diligence (Paul Kithoray and Phil Dean), Browne Jacobson on legals (Sam Sharp, Matt Bolton and Shaun McCabe) and Moore Kingston Smith (Guy Taylor). Bespoke was advised by Needle Partners on legals (Sharon Needle and Connor Kendle).