Torbay legal team on the takeover of the football club

Newly merged law firm Kitson Boyce has signed another high-profile transaction involving the sale of a leading professional football club.

Kitson Boyce played a leading role in the sale of English football league Sky Bet League One Wycombe Wanderers to a Kazakh billionaire.

The firm advised Rob Couhig’s US-based Feliciana EFL Ltd on the sale of its 90% stake in Wycombe to Blue Ocean Partners II Limited. The owner of this company is Mikheil Lomtadze, CEO and founder of the Kazakh company Kaspi.kz, a leading technology company in Central Asia.

Corporate partners Cris Boyce and Steve Hanbury, along with commercial property partner Joe Pengelly, advised on the transaction, continuing their work with Couhig, whom they advised on the purchase of the Buckinghamshire-based EFL club in 2020. Will Kelley of accountants Mark Holt & Co also advised on financial aspects of sales.

Cris Boyce said: “We are delighted to have completed the transaction on behalf of Rob and his team, which means we will see further significant investment in Wycombe Wanderers in the future. This further demonstrates our ability to advise on strategic transactions involving sellers and buyers across the globe and time zones, whilst enhancing our reputation with football clubs in England.

Rob Couhig, who will remain chairman of Wycombe Wanderers during the ownership change, said: “When I first started thinking about investing in English football, I was delighted to be recommended to Cris Boyce and his company. Cris has a unique perspective on what it’s like to be a co-owner of a club.

He, Steve and Joe have played a huge role in the successful purchase of our initial shares in Wycombe, further investment in the company and our recent sale of our shares. I found his advice at every stage to be both practical and legally sound. I have recommended him and his team to other potential buyers. I know that if I invest in another club, Cris will be my first call.

The firm has advised on previous transactions involving both EFL and National League clubs and is currently advising investors on future acquisitions. Kitson Boyce was recently ranked in the top 10 for the South West in Experian’s 2023 UK and Ireland M&A Index – the highest-ranked regional company in the study.

The authoritative review, based on announced mergers, acquisitions and share market transactions worth over £500,000, placed the company in 8th place with 10 deals completed at this level. The firm’s corporate lawyers also completed another 40 confidential and smaller transactions that were not recorded in the Experian MarketIQ 2023 database.

Kitson Boyce was established on October 1, 2023 as a result of the merger of Kitsons and Boyce Hatton. The company has offices in Torquay, Exeter, Plymouth and Totnes.