The milestone reflects the firm’s strong momentum heading into 2026, following a year of activity totalling £400m in combined deal value, supported by a robust pipeline of mid-market opportunities.
The record week came just one month after the news that PKF Smith Cooper has been shortlisted for both Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year and Transaction and Advisory Services Team of the Year at Insider’s East Midlands Dealmakers Awards.
In a cross-channel deal led by corporate finance director and self-storage specialist Tom Joy, PKF Smith Cooper advised the shareholders of Lynco SARL and Multibox SNC (trading as Flexi Stockage) on their sale to Pithos Capital and PGIM.
The acquired businesses will operate under the ZebraBox brand in France. With c.20 per cent of PKF Smith Cooper’s deals last year involving international parties, this transaction highlights the continued appetite from overseas investors for high quality Midlands businesses. This is PKF Smith Cooper’s second self-storage deal in 2026.
The team also supported long-standing client Corstorphine & Wright in furthering their expansion plans, helping them secure a refinancing partnership with Metro Bank, who have now replaced Beechbrook Capital as lender. Beechbrook remains involved with the company as an ongoing equity partner.
Partner Claire Spencer led a team on the sale of West Transport Group (comprising of William West & Sons (Ilkeston) Limited, William West Distribution Limited and West Trailer Rentals Limited) to Lockwood Group of Companies, strengthening Lockwood’s market presence in transport and warehousing.
Corporate finance director and food and beverage specialist David Crump also advised on the sale of a franchisee of a leading food and beverage brand to another franchisee within the same brand, supporting continued consolidation and growth within the sector.
PKF Smith Cooper’s Transaction and Advisory Services (TAS) experts, led by David Nelson (senior partner) and Tom Sinden (TAS director), also assisted a national waste management business on the acquisition of a plant hire specialist, providing the buyers with deal advisory services to successfully complete the transaction.
The deal builds on a period of rapid growth for the TAS team, which trebled in size last year and has sustained high levels of activity moving into 2026.
Darren Hodson (pictured), partner and head of corporate finance at PKF Smith Cooper, said: “It has been great to see months of hard work conclude with excellent outcomes achieved for our clients.
“This string of completions reflects the strength of our pipeline and the breadth of expertise within our Corporate Finance and Transaction and Advisory Services teams.
“With a new manager hire ready to bolster our team even further, we are looking forward to another busy year of helping Midlands business owners achieve their goals.”
