Fishburn Hedges creates Lattice merger document

Fishburn Hedges has designed the document detailing the proposed £15bn merger of Lattice Group and National Grid, as part of a project worth over £100 000 in fees to the consultancy.

National Grid, the electricity transmission company and Lattice Group, the UK’s largest gas pipeline owner and operator, are expected to merge in the autumn. The new company will be called National Grid Transco.

The merger document comes in two parts – the main 176-page document and the four-page summary. The in-house team at National Grid has designed a similar document, to be mailed out to its 700 000 shareholders.

‘The main document is a City document and is very difficult to understand. It is prescribed by City regulations so we can’t do much with it,’ says Fishburn Hedges chairman Chris North.

‘The chairman’s flyer and question-and-answer leaflet is much more approachable. It follows Lattice’s established visual language, using abstract representations of its business and the core colour, and is in the style that we have built up over the past couple of years of working with Lattice,’ he adds.

The work follows the consultancy’s design of Lattice Group’s annual review and its annual report and accounts, mailed to shareholders at the beginning of the month.

The documents contain an extensive section on ethical, social and environmental reporting, as well as the standard business and financial material.

The 24-page annual review gives a simple overview of the Group’s activities, while the 104-page annual report and accounts presents a fuller picture.

‘Because of the importance of the project, striking design, clearly written English and attention to detail [were] critical,’ says North.

The group has worked with Lattice Group on its shareholder communications since the company was formed in October 2000.