PROSTHETICS manufacturer and care provider Chas A Blatchford & Sons has acquired four Norwegian rehabilitation clinics for £12million.

The deal is thanks to a funding package from Lloyds Bank, which was split between a term loan, asset-based lending facility and a revolving credit facility.

This allowed the Basingstoke business to borrow against the value of its products to generate working capital.

The clinics become part of Blatchford Ortopedi AS group but will retain their name and local identities, trading as Aktiv Ortopedi AS, Ortopediservice AS, Nordland Ortopediske Verksted AS and Atterås Ortopediteknikk AS.

The deal includes Blatchford acquiring a majority share in the clinic’s distributor Ortopro AS.

Blatchford, which has 650 employees globally, makes most of its products in Basingstoke, with additional production and research and design facilities in the USA.

It also has sales subsidiaries in France, Germany and joint ventures in India and Russia.

Chief executive officer Stephen Blatchford said: “The Norwegian prosthetic and orthotic market is a well-regarded and well reimbursed market that is going through a process of consolidation.

“The merger of these four clinical businesses will create the largest rehabilitation business in Norway and give us the critical mass to succeed there.

“We are also looking forward to sharing expertise both within Norway and between Norway and the UK to improve the quality of services and products that the whole group provides to patients.

“This is an extremely exciting development for Blatchford.

“The support of Lloyds Bank has been instrumental, with the team’s understanding of both the healthcare and manufacturing sectors playing a key role in the deal.”

Established in 1890, the company has its head office on Kingsland Business Park and a base in Lister Road. It manufactures and supplies prosthetic limbs and custom-made orthopaedic footwear, as well as providing comprehensive rehabilitation services to both NHS and private healthcare organisations across the UK.

Richard Colclough, relationship director at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “Mid-market manufacturers like Blatchford are the driving force of the British economy and we are committed to supporting their growth ambitions with tailored funding solutions, and the export of its services and products to Norway will hopefully lead to new business opportunities for the company.”