Birketts has advised the shareholders of global chemical distributor, Noahs Ark Chemicals, on the sale of their shares to leading sustainable energy company Count Energy Trading BV (Count).

The Birketts team advised majority shareholders and siblings, led by Dr Bharat Bhardwaj and Rashmi Bhardwaj in the share sale of three separate companies – Noahs Ark Chemicals Limited, Noahs Ark Chemicals BV (Belgium) and Noahs Ark Chemicals GmbH (Switzerland) to Count Energy Trading BV (Netherlands).

Formed in Cambridge in 2001, family company Noahs Ark Chemicals is now a global trading and chemical distribution company which supplies thousands of tonnes of chemicals annually to destinations across Europe and around the world. As a company with an annual turnover of over £58m, Noahs Ark Chemicals has offices in Cambridge, Belgium and Switzerland and employs a multinational export team of associates in China, S. Korea, and The Americas.

The Birketts team was led by Mark Pinder and Grace Shek (Corporate), with assistance from Abigail Trencher (Employment), Andrew Priest (IP and Tech), Kitty Rosser (Data Protection) and Matthew White (Property).

Birketts worked closely with Chand Chudasama and Agne Pakalniskyte of Price Bailey with assistance from Belgian legal advisers Alain Costantini of Dear Krzewinski & Willez and Yasemin Varel of Staiger Law to bring the transaction to a successful close.

Dr Bharat Bhardwaj, General Manager of Noahs Ark Chemicals, commented: “We are very proud of the journey the organisation has been on since its inception in 2001 and feel that we have found the right investor in Count to help develop the company and broaden its offering and reach even further. We feel confident that Count’s acquisition of the group of companies will open up new opportunities for growth in the UK and beyond.”

Mark Pinder, Partner in Birketts’ Corporate team concluded: “Birketts was delighted to have the opportunity to advise the shareholders of this leading chemical distributor on this transaction. Noahs Ark Chemicals is a global market leader in its product range and we look forward to watching the business enter its next stage of growth.”