SALTERFORTH-BASED Silentnight provided the best story of corporate intrigue with a bitter battle for control of the business.
The boardroom bust-up began when the Clarke family which had set up the beds to furniture company announced it wanted to buy the shares it did not already control.
Chairman Keith Ackroyd and chief executive Bill Simpson objected to the bid which they claimed had "substantially undervalued" the company.
The family of the late founder Tom Clarke issued an effective vote of no confidence in the management team and called for an extraordinary general meeting to force the pair's removal.
With the Clarkes owning more than 50 per cent of the shares, the end result was never in doubt. Mr Ackroyd and Mr Simpson bowed to the inevitable and resigned, walking away with a golden handshake.
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