Thompson Smith and Puxon advise founders on MBO of leading fitness training provider, Study Active Limited
Leading regional law firm, Thompson Smith and Puxon have assisted the founders of Study Active Limited on the sale of their business to its new management team, Debra Stuart, Julian Berriman and Carly Wallace.
Created by James and Justine Luscombe in 2012 and expanded in 2024 with the acquisition of the Premier Global brand, Study Active is one of the UK’s leading providers of training courses and fitness qualifications. Specialising in personal trainer training services, its education programme is internationally recognised. Study Active’s courses are utilised by individuals and gyms across the UK as well as by public sector organisations including the MoD, NHS and the Fire Service.
The management team have been working within Study Active for a number of months and it is expected that the strong foundations laid down by James and Justine will enable Study Active to create a truly world-class learning experience for every learner.
Thompson Smith and Puxon’s team was led by Caroline Nicholls (Director) with support from Nicola Rout (Senior Associate), Rebecca Abiona (Solicitor) and Holly Regan (Trainee Solicitor) from the Corporate and Commercial team.
James Luscombe commented “My thanks go to Thompson Smith and Puxon’s excellent Corporate and Commercial team for guiding us through the managing buy out process, ensuring at every stage of the transaction we felt supported.”
Caroline Nicholls concluded “It was a pleasure to support James and Justine through this process. The completion of this transaction marks another milestone in the team's handling of complex transactional work. Thompson Smith and Puxon is known for advising on sales and acquisitions across a range of sectors and this deal built on our extensive track record in corporate transactions, and reflected the breadth and adaptability of our team’s capabilities. We wish the new leadership team all the very best."
The buyers were advised by Sarah Moores (Forward Corporate Finance) on the transaction structuring and Mike Matthews, Beth Wallace and Keren Levy at Roythornes Solicitors on legals. The sellers were also advised by Hayley Sheppard at Rickard Luckin on tax.