National law firm Shoosmiths has advised the sellers on the disposal of retailer, Rohan Group Limited, to H. Young Holdings PLC.

Founded in 1972, Rohan provides outdoor activity clothing, operating 55 stores across the UK and employs over 250 full time staff. Previously bought by the Cann family in 2007, H.Young Holdings has acquired the Milton Keynes based business.

Started in North Yorkshire, Rohan kitted out Austrian climber, Peter Habeler for the first accent of Mount Everest without bottled oxygen in 1978, after which the retailer moved into travel clothing, lightweight gear and 'easy care' clothes for everyday use. Rohan has experienced steady growth over recent years with sales of around £28m.

H. Young Holdings, a privately owned business headquartered in Newbury, Berkshire, already owns a number of well-known active brands including surf and leisurewear brand Animal and cycle specialist Madison. Supplying thousands of independent retail businesses across the UK, H. Young Holdings also operate a number of their own retail outlets and employ over 900 people with annual sales in excess of £200m.

Shoosmiths' corporate partner Sanjeev Sharma led the team with support from Gareth Cook, Aleks Bosch and Lauren Conroy. The team were assisted by specialists Tom Wilde (Tax) Heather Chandler and Kunjan Sembhi (Pensions), Matthew Kemp and Carly Wells (Real Estate).

Roger Cann, managing director at Rohan, commented: 'We are delighted with the excellent legal advice, the dedication and the high quality service that the Shoosmiths' team provided throughout this transaction. This deal will provide the resources for further development of the Rohan brand and will ensure the company continues to expand and provide high quality outdoor clothing to its loyal customer base.'

Sanjeev Sharma added: 'Rohan is a great British brand and we are extremely pleased to have supported this deal that will ensure its continuation as a leading specialist retailer.'

Shoosmiths' corporate team advises public and private companies, management teams, investors and debt providers through the business life cycle. Shoosmiths work with businesses from start-up and first round finance through to mergers and acquisitions, MBO and MBI transactions, development funding and on exits, by way of sale, listing or private equity investment.

Nationally, the corporate team is ranked in joint first place by deal volume in Experian's UK Deal Review and Advisor League Table. The team was recognised for its mergers and acquisitions expertise at the 2015 M&A Awards, winning the Law Firm of the Year category.