Castleford Homes

Deal Summary

Catalyst advised Forward Group plc, 100% shareholder of Castleford Homes on the disposal of the company to the Sunley Group.

Founded in 1999, Castleford Homes builds homes throughout the Home Counties, focusing on the luxury end of the housing market including 5 bedroom executive homes and 3 bedroom apartments.

Forward Group plc is an evergreen private equity fund with over £100m of assets under management.

What difference did we make?

Aware of our significant understanding of the construction market and completed deals in the sector, Forward Group, the major investor in Castleford Homes, approached Catalyst for advice on their options for realising value from the business.

Initially Catalyst worked alongside Forward Group to review the potential buyers of Castleford Homes and subsequently we were appointed to manage a sales process, and in particular manage the completion of a deal with as little external publicity or confidentiality leak as possible.

The biggest difference we made on this deal was our knowledge of the residential housebuilding market, and in particular the methodology behind land bank valuation which enabled us to significantly increase first round offers from interested parties.

We negotiated limited warranty and indemnity terms for our client and the overall deal secured a substantial return for Forward Group.