Gill Sells the Majority Stake in its Clothing Company to YFM

Gill

The undisclosed sum of money paid to Douglas Gill International to YFM Equity Partners is intended to back their existing management team. Gill was established in the 1975 by Nick Gill who started up the business in his father’s Nottingham lace factory.

The Gill business makes technical sailing clothing and accessories and exported to more than 35 countries and last year and won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. Gill employs more than 40 staff at its Long Eaton site.

As part of the deal, Steve Richards will be joining Gill as non-executive chairman. He is currently chairman at QualitySolicitors and Waterbabies and was previously chief executive of Interflora and managing director of Manchester United Merchandising.

The management team includes managing director John Deverill, who has been with Gill for 16 years, sales director Bryan Stewart and product director Matt Clark. Nick Gill will be a non-executive director in the company after the transaction with YFM.

YFM director Paul Cannings said: “This is a strong management team that has delivered growth for the past three years in a difficult retail market. With our financial and strategic support we will help the team develop the brand further and increase its market share in existing and newer markets.”

Gill managing director John Deverill added: “It has been a great pleasure to work with Nick and the team as we developed Gill into a premier international brand of sailing apparel. With Steve, Bryan, Matt and the team at YFM
Equity Partners we are excited by the opportunity to continue to develop and invest in the brand and increase our
international market share.”

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Bennington 22 MSB

By Andy Adams

If you’ve already had firsthand experience with a pontoon, you will easily understand the appeal of the Bennington 22 MSB. But if you haven’t, let’s start by reviewing a few of the reasons why pontoon boats have become top sellers in markets across North America.

Pontoon boats began in the early 1950s as basically four steel drums lashed to a frame. They were not unlike the log rafts of ancient cultures and not much more sophisticated at first.

Read More

Destinations

The Best of Two Worlds

By Mathew Channer

Interior British Columbia might not be as famous for recreational boating as Canada’s Great Lakes, yet it is no less a world-class boat­ing destination. The mountains offer their own flavour of marine adventure with their series of long, deep ribbon lakes, and there is perhaps no area that embodies this more uniquely than the iconic Okanagan basin in southern B.C. One could be forgiven for assuming this valley was purpose-built for nautical fun, with a few delightful perks thrown in to make the area entirely irresistible (wine-tasting, anyone?).

Read More

Lifestyle