Ashfords advises Equistone-backed BUKO Traffic & Safety on acquisition of large traffic management provider to support UK growth strategy

Ashfords has advised Equistone-backed BUKO Traffic & Safety, a leading provider of outsourced traffic and safety management solutions headquartered in the Netherlands, on the acquisition of Hooke Highways to support its growth strategy to expand BUKO’s presence in the UK market. 

BUKO Traffic & Safety is a portfolio company of Equistone, a leading mid-market private equity firm that is based across Europe’s largest economies. Hooke Highways is one of the largest providers of traffic management in the South of England, operating from six locations in the area. 

Ashfords was first introduced to BUKO by a law firm based in the Netherlands that the firm has previously worked closely with, and was instructed due to its experience assisting private equity-backed clients achieve their growth strategy through bolt-on acquisitions. 

The team took a commercial approach throughout the transaction, using its extensive knowledge of M&A in this part of the market to reinforce BUKO’s insight on the terms that would be acceptable to the sellers and their exiting investor and taking a pragmatic approach to legal due diligence.

The transaction completed with all parties satisfied with the outcome. The team is now assisting BUKO with the immediate post-completion integration to ensure a smooth transition.

Hubert van Wolfswinkel, partner at Equistone Partners Europe, said: 'After successfully entering the UK earlier this year, Hooke Highways represents an important next step towards expanding BUKO’s presence in the UK and realising its ambitions of becoming a leading player in the market. Ashfords’ experience working on similar transactions assisted us in navigating this acquisition efficiently with clear, commercial advice on the issues raised throughout.'

The acquisition pulled together expertise from our corporate, commercial, real estate and tax teams. The team was led by corporate partner Jocelyn Ormond and corporate senior associate Laura Guest, with further support from Ellie Menezes, John Pindard, Ben Tarrant, Hannah Pettit, Brett Lambe and Stephen Moore.

For further information, please contact our corporate team.