ABOUT HOVIS
Hovis Limited is a baking and flour milling business jointly owned by The Gores Group (51%) and Premier Foods Plc (49%). Headquartered in High Wycombe, Hovis® employs around 2,800 employees. Hovis® has eight bakery sites in England, Scotland and Ireland, producing bread and bread products, one flour mill, and three regional distribution centres.
The context
Hovis operates in a competitive sector, and undertakes a number of disposals. To manage this, Hovis needed a virtual data room (“VDR”) platform which was agile, secure and met the needs of the Hovis business.
Summary
- Sterling ranked no.1 during Hovis' vendor selection process
- Built a successful relationship lasting over 6 years
- Changed Hovis' perception of VDRs and what they can do
THE CHALLENGE
Hovis’ General Counsel, Helen Selby – who was responsible for the VDR buying decision – had, in the past, mixed experiences of providers; recalling issues with out-dated technology and inconsistent customer service. Helen was familiar with Sterling’s print business, which afforded Sterling the opportunity to demonstrate the Sterling VDR platform to Hovis. By Helen’s own admission, her expectations were low and the meeting was agreed out of courtesy.
THE RESULT
As part of the vendor selection process, Helen saw demos from a variety of providers and it became apparent during this process that Sterling’s offering was the best fit – with in-built safeguards, comprehensive customised reports and an advanced Q&A processes amongst other features. Helen also specifically cited our 24/7 London-based customer support and the importance of supporting UK businesses as factors that influenced her decision.
Helen has used Sterling for over six years and, like many other Sterling clients, now appreciates that a good VDR platform is critical to effective deal-making.