INDUSTRY
The NFE Group became a market leader in fleet driver training offering innovative speciality health and wellbeing driver training.
NFE Group offers driver training courses to substantial corporate clients across the UK. Their range of training products has grown since their start in 2003 to include risk assessments, advanced driver training, trailer training and stress management. They also have significant service offerings in the rail sector. Avondale were instructed to seek an investor or trade sale to best support the growth of NFE Group. We researched and approached the market.
A sale was agreed to RED Driving School. RED have over 1,500 driving instructors and operate throughout England, Scotland and Wales. They launched their own successful fleet driver training business in 2018. RED Driving School CEO Ian McIntosh commented: “With the acquisition of the NFE Group with its very experienced management team, we will be very well equipped to meet the needs of our clients across the UK.”
Andy Neale of the NFE Group said: “NFE has worked hard to get to where it is in the fleet risk management industry and has also developed a leading position in the health and wellbeing market related to driver training. Now with the support and backing of the RED team, we are very excited about the future.” Following Avondale’s successful completion of the sale, NFE will be led by Andy Neale.
SOLD TO
April 2021 – It has now been 12 months since the successful completion of the NFE Group being acquired by RED Driving School, so we caught up with Andy Neale, MD, to see how the post-sale integration phase has been going. “Whilst Covid-19 has interfered with our everyday lives, it has not unduly affected the integration of the businesses. The good news is that we have remained profitable which is a great achievement by the team and a testament to our ability to be flexible and focused on profitability.”
We asked what challenges the business and team have faced; “As is the case with so many other businesses, we have had to get used to interaction via Teams and e-mail, which can have its challenges. Integrating people is definitely harder on a virtual basis and we are looking forward to greater face-to-face interaction as restrictions are further lifted.”
Finally, we asked what their plans are for the next 12 months, to which Andy said “The last 12 months have enabled us to work together to identify how individual skill sets can best be applied for the benefit of the business and we will be implementing changes in this respect over the next 12 months.”
We’d like to thank Andy for taking the time, and we look forward to seeing what the next 12 months bring NFE and RDS.
“The team at Avondale, ably led by Simon Baldwin, have just been excellent from start to end. Having never sold a business before I was completely in the dark but having Simon at hand 24/7 to guide and advise was invaluable. I cannot recommend Avondale more highly if you are thinking about selling your business.”
Andy Neale, CEO, NFE Group
