News & Events | News

Monday 30th July 2001

SJ Berwin advised Gullane Entertainment plc on its £45.5 million acquisition of the Guinness World Records business from Diageo plc, another client of the firm. The acquisition was conditional on the approval of Gullane's shareholders, which was given at a meeting held at SJ Berwin's offices on Friday 27 July 2001.

Gullane is a significant family entertainment studio, which owns the rights to Thomas the Tank Engine, Art Attack, Sooty, Captain Pugwash, and many others. Guinness World Records owns the copyright to the Guinness World Records database and has developed the well-recognised Guinness World Records Brand.

The SJ Berwin team was led by partners Peter Anderson and Michael Goldberg from the corporate finance department, and partner Raji Bartlett from the banking department, and included corporate assistants Debra Hoe and Rebecca Babcock. Michael Goldberg said:

"We have very much enjoyed helping Gullane Entertainment in its development over a number of years, including its flotation in 1996, and are delighted to have been involved in another major step in the company's growth."

Rowe & Maw advised Gullane Entertainment on the intellectual property issues relating to the acquisition. The Rowe & Maw team was led by partner and Head of IP, Stephen Gare, assisted by Mary Bagnall and Chris Murphy. Stephen Gare commented:

"This was a very exciting and ground breaking deal. We were very pleased to participate, together with SJ Berwin and Gullane Entertainment's in-house lawyers, as part of a close-knit legal team representing the purchaser."