Hill Dickinson has acted for the management team and exiting private equity investor of Character World on a £36m secondary buy-out backed by Palatine Private Equity.

Character World, based in Cheadle, Manchester and led by brothers Mark and Danny Schweiger, is a design led, European leader in licensing focussed on bedroom textiles, towels and home furnishings. Offering an unrivalled licence portfolio, Character World works in partnership with some of the world’s most recognisable brands including Disney, Nickelodeon, Lego, Hasbro and Warner Bros and has strong trading relationships with leading retailers in the UK and across Europe.

The deal provides a successful exit for RJD Capital Partners, a private equity provider that backed Mark and Danny Schweiger when they took over the company from their father, a deal on which Hill Dickinson advised on back in 2008.

Ian Gillis, Head of Manchester Corporate led the team comprising David Mkhitarian, Rhian Hughes (Corporate), Helen Penfold (Banking) and Dan Rubin (Employment). Commenting on the deal, Ian said: “We are delighted to have worked with Mark and Danny. Character World has had great success with expanding the business internationally and it is fantastic to see their journey of growth continue.”