International legal business DWF has advised BGF in connection with its funding support for family-owned APS Group, the UK’s largest tomato grower to support its continued expansion. 

Headquartered in Cheshire, APS plans to build a new glasshouse to extend capacity at existing sites and make further investments into industry leading, innovative technologies and automation to optimise operational efficiencies. APS currently manages 56 hectares of glasshouses and operates several packhouses across sites in Alderley Edge, Middlewich, Kent, West Sussex, Teesside, East Yorkshire and the Isle of Wight. More than 700 people are employed across the group which produces 500 million tomatoes per year using the best traditional and modern growing techniques to grow a range of high quality tomato varieties in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

Founded in 1949 by Albert and Hilda Pearson, APS Group is now under the stewardship of CEO Mark Pearson alongside Philip Pearson and several other members of the Pearson family and senior management team. As a long-standing supplier to the major supermarkets in the UK, the business has been well-placed to respond to a significant increase in demand for food produce grown in Britain in recent years.     

The company has a strong heritage of innovation having delivered a number of UK and worldwide firsts in the horticultural industry. 
Jonathan Robinson said: "We are delighted to have worked with the BGF team again in their support of a forward thinking and innovative family business in order to expand its capacity and increase its supply. 

The DWF team was led by DWF National Head of Private Equity, Jonathan Robinson, associate Will Munday and solicitor Rosie Spencer.