Bakewell's JB Holdings makes
six-figure move on Librex

CITY entrepreneur Jon Bakewell has bought a Colwick office equipment business which supplies councils, universities and hospitals.

Bakewell's JB Holdings has bought Librex Educational from owners Margaret and Allan Wright in an undisclosed deal thought to run into six figures.

The centrepiece of Bakewell's businesses is Bilborough printing firm John Brown, which already has a strong relationship with Librex.

Mr Bakewell said: "I'm always looking to invest in locally based businesses which complement our portfolio and Librex fits the bill perfectly.

"The company has built a strong reputation over the past 60 years under the leadership of Margaret and Allan Wright.

"I knew the quality of the business as we have been their supplier of catalogues for over 30 years through our printing company John Browns and I could see that there was a natural synergy between the two businesses, so it made complete sense to adopt Librex into our group."

Librex has been supplying a range of office products to schools, libraries, universities and hospitals, and Mr Bakewell is planning to expand the business through more product lines and a new website.

He said: "There are many products which John Browns already produce which will sit comfortably among the growing number of lines which Librex supply.

"We will also be looking to rapidly expand on the number of products that they provide, offering more choice to customers through the completely rebuilt website."

The takeover deal was supported with facilities provided by the Yorkshire Bank's Nottingham financial solutions centre under its Investing For Growth banner.

Paul Elliott, business banking partner at Yorkshire Bank FSC in Nottingham, said: "Jon Bakewell has worked extremely hard to build up his JB Holdings company and when he spotted an opportunity to add Librex to the group's portfolio the bank was delighted to help fund the buy-out.''

Mr Bakewell added: "I am really pleased with the support we received from Yorkshire Bank and Geldards in helping structure this deal and I'm looking forward to building on the success Librex has enjoyed over the last three decades.

"I'm also grateful for the great job which Jonathan Salt of RSM Tenon did in bringing all the parties together to make the deal happen."

Originally written by Richard Baker and printed in Nottingham Evening Post, available online at this link.

We're under new management...

Librex was purchased in July by local businessman, Jon Bakewell. Jon has been working closely with the business for the last couple of years in order to ensure a smooth transition from the previous owner Margaret Wright and that our website at www.librex.co.uk is up-to-date and ready for business.

Margaret Wright, who owned the business with her husband Allan before selling it to Mr Bakewell said: “We wanted the business to continue moving forward in the hands of someone we could trust to continue evolving the business. We are confident that the new management team will maintain the good client relationships and high level of service which the Company has built up a reputation for over the past 60 years.”

We wish both Margaret and Allan a very long and happy retirement.

Prior to the business being sold, Librex Educational also acquired the partnership BGU Manufacturing and has now transferred BGU into Librex, so all the BGU customers can continue to receive their benefits whilst being opened up to the extra benefits of becoming a Librex Customer.

We shall be continuing to expand our range of services and introducing new product lines, some of which are already featured in this catalogue. So please do tell us what you want to see in the catalogue and let us know how we can continue to improve our service.

Once again, a big THANK YOU to all of our customers for your continued custom and support.