BEING PREPARED FOR SALE ADDS REAL VALUE

Meaco is a British company that designs and sells air-treatment products, best known for its dehumidifiers, as well as air purifiers, fans, humidifiers and portable air conditioners. Founded in 1991, it originally specialised in environmental monitoring and humidity control for museums and galleries, before expanding into consumer and commercial indoor air quality products that are now sold internationally.

Requirements

The shareholders and management team of Meaco were seeking support for a potential transaction. Although the management team was highly capable and experienced within their business, they had not previously been through a sales process.

They required support to ensure the financial information was presented appropriately and that the historical sales and margin information was accurate and fully reconciled. Accurate reporting, a clear databook, and guidance throughout the deal process were essential.

Throughout our involvement in the transaction, Meaco continued to grow, and we helped ensure that the business had appropriate staffing levels and improved systems where possible.

What we did

We worked alongside management and shareholders to prepare Meaco for sale and to support them throughout the transaction:

  • We conducted a detailed analysis of sales and margin data from the stock system, assigning both ‘product category’ and a ‘customer category’ to be able to analyse the data by more than one stream
  • Using this master data, we analysed monthly sales, cost of sales, and margins to identify seasonal trends and address any margins that appeared out of the ordinary.
  • We extracted monthly data from Xero and built a comprehensive databook presenting historical results in a format suitable for due diligence, including monthly profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, and working capital.
  • We reconciled monthly sales and cost of sales from the stock system to Xero to ensure that all the data was recorded correctly.
  • We carried out extensive work on working capital, adjusting for a number of events during the period to present a normalised balance.
  • We provided regular trading updates and model amendments as the deal progressed.
  • We offered ongoing support to the shareholders, responding to ad hoc queries as required.

Results

In December 2025, Four Leaf Capital acquired Meaco, highlighting the strength of the infrastructure services M&A market and marking an exciting new chapter for the business. Navig8 Advisory was proud to work alongside KPMG and Mishcon de Reya LLP in supporting the shareholders through to a successful completion.

Services Provided

  • FINANCIAL MODELLING

    Set-up and monitoring financial performance across the business and setting up detailed forecasting projections and costings for growth.

  • BUSINESS PRESENTATION

    Assisted the business with presenting their results under IFRS as opposed to UK GAAP as previously reported

Benefits

Peace of mind

Our understanding of the sales process allowed any potential issues to be discovered and resolved prior to the sale / due diligence process.

Improved chance of successful sale

Through easy to access and transparent financial data.

Maximised business value

Maximised business value through presenting the data appropriately and in the best light.

Fast and efficient process

By getting all the ducks in a row beforehand.

Increased business insight

By getting to know the detail of the financials.

Planned and costed growth

Allowed for a real understanding of capital and cashflow needs.

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