We are delighted to share that the founder of Empteezy, Bruce Wishart, was advised on the sale of his business to a management buy-out team backed by London-based private equity firm Chiltern Capital.
Empteezy is a Livingston-based designer, manufacturer and distributor of industrial safety products and solutions, which Mr Wishart established more than 30 years ago. Under his ownership the business grew into a pan-European operation with 250 employees, serving blue-chip customers from sites across the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Belgium, with a turnover of £45m.
The MBO was led by CEO David Byrne and CFO Jon Hazlewood, with Warwick Ley joining as chair. Chiltern Capital will support the new management team in broadening Empteezy's product and service offering and has made further funding available for targeted acquisitions.
The team was led by Andy Lowe, with assistance from Morag Waller, and Scott Paterson and Alex Spence. Property support was provided by Katie Corrigan and Eloise Robb.
Keith Anderson commented: "Bruce Wishart has built an impressive business with an international reach, and I am sure it has a great future under its new ownership. It is a privilege to be involved in a Scottish manufacturing success story and to work alongside James Rodger (Aequitas) and Bruce to achieve an exciting outcome for all concerned."
This matter was handled by Vialex prior to the firm becoming part of Higgs LLP in 2026
