DLA Piper has played a pivotal role in advising Duke Street on its acquisition of McAvoy, a well-established manufacturer and provider of modular buildings and social infrastructure. Duke Street, a prominent mid-market investor operating across Europe, acquired McAvoy from funds managed by Blantyre Capital. Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, McAvoy employs over 160 staff and maintains additional offices in Dublin, Birmingham, Bristol, and London. The company is recognised for its expertise in designing, building, and leasing premium space solutions across critical sectors such as health, education, pharmaceuticals, and commercial industries throughout the UK and Ireland. This acquisition by Duke Street aims to bolster McAvoy’s rental fleet, enhancing the size and quality of offerings to expand the delivery of high-quality modular buildings to its clients.

The legal advisory team from DLA Piper was led by Corporate partners Tim Wright and John Pyror, supported by specialists in tax and finance, including David Thompson, Neil Campbell, and Chris Wilson. John Pyror emphasised the strategic importance of the acquisition, highlighting Duke Street's continued focus on social infrastructure services—a sector also reflected in its earlier investment into AGITO Medical. Pyror noted that Duke Street’s investment demonstrates confidence in McAvoy as a premium business with a strong management team, and DLA Piper’s cross-border capabilities in both the UK and Ireland were instrumental in facilitating this mid-market private equity transaction.

DLA Piper's involvement in this transaction underscores the firm’s market leadership and depth of expertise in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and private equity. The firm has been recognised as the highest-ranked legal advisor for M&A by volume for an impressive 15 consecutive years, according to Mergermarket. Moreover, PitchBook has named DLA Piper the most active legal advisor for European private equity transactions for seven years running. These accolades reflect DLA Piper’s comprehensive engagement in complex, high-value deals across global and regional markets.

The broader context of DLA Piper’s dominance is evident from industry rankings and league tables. The firm holds the number one position globally for combined deal volume across M&A, venture capital, and private equity, according to PitchBook's annual reviews. It also tops lists for both sell-side and buy-side M&A transactions worldwide, illustrating a consistent ability to advise at every stage of transactions. In parallel, DLA Piper is credited with a leading role in venture capital deal volumes within the US, showcasing its extensive reach across multiple financial and strategic investment sectors.

The successful advisory effort on the Duke Street-McAvoy transaction was supported by a dedicated team within DLA Piper, including legal director Lilly Alamir in Finance, corporate senior associates Ben Wilson and Isabella Gee, associates Jenni Entwisle and Matthew Manwaring, finance associate Radina Denkova, and trainee solicitor Freya Patten. This collective expertise ensured smooth navigation through the complex legal and financial considerations of the acquisition.

Duke Street's acquisition of McAvoy reflects a growing trend among private equity investors to focus on social infrastructure and modular construction, sectors where quality, efficiency, and sustainability are paramount. By expanding McAvoy's rental offerings, Duke Street is positioning the company to better serve sectors that require flexible, premium building solutions without the burden of significant capital expenditure.

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Source: Noah Wire Services