Johnston Carmichael’s Corporate Finance team recently acted as lead adviser to the shareholders of Duncan’s of Deeside Limited, producers of premium Scottish shortbread, in its acquisition by Dean’s of Huntly.

Duncan’s of Deeside is a third generation family-run bakery based in Aberdeenshire. Its award-winning shortbread and oatcakes are hand-baked in Scotland and shipped worldwide.

The company and family are long-standing clients of Johnston Carmichael, and this transaction brought together several service lines to provide a joined up and holistic approach to the deal. The firm’s expert teams across Corporate Finance, Outsourced Finance Services and Transaction Tax worked together throughout the process, guiding the shareholders at each step.

Dean’s of Huntly is also a renowned family-run bakery, which has been operating in Aberdeenshire for the past 45 years.

Dean’s acquisition of Duncan’s of Deeside will allow for organic growth in the marketplace, continuing on the high-quality products created by both parties.

Paul Duncan, Managing Director of Duncan’s of Deeside, said: “The support I and the family have had over the past years and in particular in the past six months has been phenomenal – I can’t thank the whole team at JC enough.”

Raemond Jappy, Business Advisory Partner and Client Relationship Partner for Duncan's of Deeside at Johnston Carmichael, said: “It was really pleasing to see our multi-discipline teams work together to make this deal happen. Duncan’s is a great business, and we look forward to watching it thrive under the new ownership.”