Ashtons Legal advises on the sale of The Payroll Service Company Ltd to Access UK Ltd

Ashtons has recently advised the owners of The Payroll Service Company Ltd (PSC) on the sale of their business to Access UK Ltd (Access).

PSC was founded by Jan and Geoff Leadbeater in 1973. They were joined by daughter Sherry Woolston and later, son Guy with both going on to take over the management and running of the company. From small beginnings, PSC has grown to be the largest independent payroll bureau in East Anglia catering for all industry sectors.

The Access Group is a leading provider of business software to mid-sized organisations. It has more than 20,000 customers across commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Established in 1991, The Access Group employs more than 2,100 staff.

The Ashtons Legal deal team was led by partner Geoff Hazlewood, assisted by Paul Mitchell and Craig Fiddaman on the corporate side, Colin Makin in employment and Charlotte Vallins dealing with the commercial property matters.

Geoff comments: “Ashtons has been staple advisers to PSC over the last 40 years and the successful outcome here is a testament to the hard work and energy that the family have put into the business over the lifetime of the company.”

Geoff adds: “The Ashtons team here were delighted to assist Geoff, Jan, Sherry, and Guy in the onward sale of their business to Access and wish them every success for their future endeavours. This transaction affirms Ashtons’ presence and ability as a strong player in the Cambridge market.”

Sherry Woolston adds: “We are extremely grateful for Geoff and the team at Ashtons for their excellent service. They provided robust legal advice throughout the transaction and were always available to answer our questions or concerns. I have been very impressed by their proactive support and assistance to get the transaction over the line and would thoroughly recommend them”.

On the accountancy and tax side, the family were advised by Jonathan Fretwell and Stephen Rose of Lakin Rose Ltd, and Patricia Taylor and Bill Thomas of Acresis UK Ltd who initially brokered the deal.

Access’ deal team was led by their own in-house lawyer Patrick Seeley together with assistance from Travers Smith LLP and Foot Anstey LLP.