Hill Dickinson has acted for fire protection and security system provider Swift Fire & Security as it is acquired by Marlowe plc in a £13m deal.

Hill Dickinson’s corporate team, led by partner and Manchester head of corporate Ian Gillis with assistance from James Down and Sarah Mazari (corporate) and Sinead Mohan (employment), advised Swift co-founder and managing director Nigel Jackson on the deal.

Swift, set up in 1982, operates nationwide from premises in Salford, Warrington, Newcastle upon Tyne and Nottingham. Swift is a leading national fire protection and security systems installation and maintenance business with a broad range of capabilities to design, install and service fire protection & security solutions.

To help fund the transaction, Marlowe plc raised £3m from new and existing shareholders and £8.3m through a statutory merger with an overseas incorporated AIM listed cash shell, Marlowe Holdings Limited. Following the acquisition of Swift, Marlowe has cancelled its AIM listing as Marlowe Holdings and has begun trading on the same market under the name Marlowe plc.

Commenting on the deal, Hill Dickinson’s Ian Gillis said, “We’re pleased to have assisted Nigel on this deal and with Nigel moving onto the plc board of Marlowe we wish him and the team the best of luck for the future. This deal is the latest in a number of private and public M&A transactions which the national corporate team have advised on over the past 12 months with the Manchester corporate team having recruited four new members in the same period.”