Dillon Eustace advises Briggs Equipment on its strategic acquisition of Laois Hire Services from HSS Hire

Dillon Eustace, a leading Irish law firm, recently supported Briggs Equipment Ireland, an exclusive national distributor of handling equipment, with its €11.2 million acquisition of Laois Hire Services from London-listed tool hire company HSS Hire.

Dillon Eustace acted on behalf of Briggs Equipment Ireland, managed by Briggs Equipment Group. The legal team on this deal was led by Philip Lea, Partner within the Corporate M&A team, and supported by Associate Joseph Lynch and Head of the Taxation team David Lawless. Senior Associate Brendan Cunnane led on the property aspects of the deal with support from Julia Drennan.

Commenting on the deal, Philip Lea, Partner within the Corporate M&A team said:

“We are delighted to have supported Briggs Equipment Ireland on this strategic acquisition that will enable it to further diversify its offering in the Irish market. We wish Briggs every success in its continued expansion within the materials handling sector.”

Established in Northern Ireland in 2012, Briggs Ireland is continuing to build their presence within Ireland’s materials handling sector with acquisitions backed by Briggs Equipment Group. The acquisition of Laois Hire Services forms part of Briggs Ireland’s plan to diversify their offering and provide a comprehensive proposition which includes plant hire across the whole of Ireland. Founded in 1989, Laois Hire Services specialises in the sale and hire of small plant equipment. The company was acquired by HSS in 2005 in a deal valued in excess of €5 million. As of June 2020, Laois had total gross assets of €10.6 million and had made a pre-tax of €1.8 million for the year ended December 2019.

As part of the deal, HSS Hire has confirmed a commercial agreement with Briggs for the cross hire of equipment to ensure the broadest possible distribution of, and customer access to existing fleets.