The campaign culminated with a panel discussion at The Telegraph’s Festival of Business where LDC and high-profile business leaders shined a spotlight on the UK’s most inspiring firms.
Here is a collection of management teams that are each doing incredible things – innovating, building exports and creating winning teams. What better antidote to uncertainty and what better place for the 2017 Backing Business Ambition tour to culminate than the Festival of Business?”
Backing Business Ambition in the East Midlands
The East Midlands is home to many vibrant industries. Sectors such as life sciences and pharmaceuticals have thrived because of Nottingham’s BioCity, whereas the region’s excellent transport links have bolstered our logistics prowess.
It’s part of the reason why courier service Panther Warehousing is thriving. We backed the management buyout of the Northampton-headquartered business last year to drive further growth and invest in its operations. Turnover has doubled to £30m in just over two years.
The advantage of the East Midlands is its central location, which helps it do business with the rest of the UK. Transport links are improving all the time and the government’s Midlands Engine strategy is set to drive further growth.
At LDC, we pride ourselves on operating a regional model. Being on the ground means we can respond quickly to firms hungry for investment, and work closely with our portfolio companies when they need support.
Across the Midlands we have invested in more than 25 diverse businesses over the last five years, providing nearly £550m of growth capital. Entrepreneurial spirit is thriving here and we shape our deals, and the support we offer, to suit the management teams with the ambition to grow.
Babystyle, Agilitas, Peppermint Technology and Addo Food Group all featured in the Nottingham Post on the 19th October 2017.
Backing Business Ambition in the North West
Like many Northern cities, Manchester has changed dramatically over the past 50 years, moving away from its traditional industrial roots to more of a service-based economy.
We love investing in a diversified range of businesses, and Manchester offers just that. For example, right now, creative media businesses are thriving here, partly because of the relocation of the BBC to Media City. There are also lots of technology and software businesses here because of the strong innovation and university links.
Over the past 12 months alone we’ve backed five new management teams in the region, investing £90m in the North West. One of those investments is Hill Biscuits, where we backed a management buyout earlier this year and helped the 150-year-old business to expand its production capabilities.
We pride ourselves on helping fast-growth businesses to reach their goals more quickly. Be this through adding value through our in-house consultancy team, or supporting growth through strategies such as buy-and-build.
We are a like-minded partner than can give entrepreneurs the confidence to invest in growth.
Moneypenny, Fazenda, Trak Global and Mini-Cam all featured in the Manchester Evening News on the 12th October 2017.
Backing Business Ambition in London
London is one of the most exciting and competitive markets in the world. It is home to a vast talent pool and there is a big addressable market of affluent customers willing to spend. We have been based in the capital for 35 years, so we understand what it takes to succeed.
The economy here is incredibly diverse and ambitious entrepreneurs need different kinds of support at various stages in their business lifecycle. Speaking to entrepreneurs on the ground, we’ve noticed some exciting, fast-growth niches in London. Businesses that use technology to disrupt existing industry are doing particularly well here, as evidenced by REaD Group.
Another pocket of growth right now is in consumer brands. Piccolo and KMI are attacking traditional markets with fresh and on-trend products. Creative, bold businesses that prove themselves in London are in a strong position to expand across the UK, and around the world.
To date, LDC has backed 215 management teams in London with £1.4bn in growth capital. We work with management teams across all sectors of the economy and have a track record in bringing the right support at the right time. The proof is in the pudding: our portfolio companies currently support 3,600 jobs, turning over £500m collectively.
Piccolo, REaD Group, and KMI Brands all featured in City AM on the 5th October 2017.
Backing ambition in Yorkshire
Yorkshire is an exciting region for business, home to hundreds of innovative, growth companies operating across a diverse range of industry sectors. From well-established clusters like food and drink and financial services to newer areas in technology and digital and creative industries, the level of ambition is impressive and infectious.
Last year we backed Team17, the market-leading games developer and publisher best known for the popular Worms franchise. Whereas this month we supported the management buyout of Pelsis, the leading manufacturer of branded pest control products, in a deal that will enable the business to accelerate its global growth strategy.
It’s this kind of variety that makes the business community so vibrant.
Similarly, Distinction Doors is a classic example of a firm that has consistently innovated, and delivered impressive growth as a result. Emerald Publishing meanwhile is a Yorkshire business which has stayed true to its roots whilst going head to head with global players in its market. And the sports and energy drink brand, Boost Drinks, shows just what can be achieved with the right product and ‘go-to-market’ strategy. What’s more, there’s so much opportunity ahead for each of them.
LDC has had a presence in Yorkshire for almost 30 years, investing more than £450m in capital, and our regional portfolio supports over 4,000 jobs. Over this time, we’ve partnered with many management teams, helping their small and mid-sized businesses in becoming global players. Our purpose is simple – to support and scale more of those companies, creating value and prosperity for all those involved.
We’ve pledged to invest £1.2bn of equity in UK small and mid-sized companies over the next three years. These partnerships will come in a range of shapes and sizes, from classic management buyouts to development capital injections, and for different reasons – supporting a change of ownership, helping founders de-risk and crystallise their value, funding mergers and acquisitions.
It’s all about unlocking the potential of great, growth businesses across Yorkshire.
Emerald Group, Boost Drinks and Distinction Doors all featured in The Yorkshire Post on 21st September 2017.
Committed to helping Scottish business grow and succeed
Scotland has a long legacy in the oil and gas industry but the business landscape here is evolving. New industries began emerging after the recession and there are many successful technology businesses here now, such as travel giant Skyscanner and Fanduel, the fantasy sports company.
And while Scotland has a fantastic heritage in food and drink -off the back of its whisky industry -many businesses are now forging a global reputation for their produce.
LDC, which has investment professionals based both in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, has backed a wide range of businesses here. Some hail from traditional industries, like oil and gas support services firm Ramco in Aberdeen, while PDG Helicopters, the UK’s leading aerial infrastructure support services company, based in Inverness, has invested in its fleet to keep up with growing demand for its services.
Scotland is a natural home for LDC, because of the dual nature of its business community. It is peppered with legacy firms which have stood the test of time, but also entrepreneurial early-stage and mid-market companies.
Firms here thrive because of the talent pool created by local universities, the availability of bank and public sector finance, and the fantastic quality of life.
Over the past eight years, we’ve invested more than £100m in Scottish businesses, with our current portfolio supporting more than 500 jobs. We’re committed to maintaining this level of support to continue to drive the Scottish economy forward.
Altia-ABM, McLaren, Edge Testing and CMS Window Systems all featured in The Herald on 14th September 2017.
Backing ambition in the North East
Beyond its strong industrial heritage, the North East is home to fast-growing sectors such as technology and financial services, as well as a thriving food and drink scene.
We’ve been in the region for almost 30 years and over this time have backed all kinds of businesses.
From Quantum Pharmaceuticals, one of the UK’s largest manufacturers of tailor-made medicines, to cycling distributor ZyroFisher, helping them to meet their growth ambitions.
We specialise in helping our portfolio businesses make the contacts they need, drive sales and turbocharge growth.
I’ve noticed that many of the innovative businesses in this region don’t get the attention they deserve. It’s a quirk of British culture that many of these entrepreneurs choose to be modest about their achievements, which is why it’s so important for us to shout about them.
Polar Krush, Zerolight, Fentimans and ZyroFisher all featured in The The Journal on the 12th July 2017.
Backing ambition in the South
Reading is home to many ambitious mid-sized firms, which have helped the city to become a major economic powerhouse in the South East.
Manufacturers benefit from Reading’s unrivalled supply chain links, while technology companies cluster around Thames Valley Science Park, sharing in the skills attracted to the area by tech giant Microsoft.
LDC has been a major investor in the area since 2000, backing more than 60 businesses with £675m in growth capital over that time. We are proud to say that our portfolio businesses now support more than 5,000 jobs in the area, turning over £500m between them.
With its links to London, and the development of Crossrail, Reading’s future is assured – as is our commitment to helping local firms meet their growth goals.
Harvey Water Softeners, Explore Learning and Softbox Systems all featured in the Reading Chronicle on the 6th July 2017.
Committed to helping Welsh business grow and success
The Welsh midmarket is the engine of the local economy, full of ambitious entrepreneurs and management teams doing great things.
We opened our office in Wales last year because we realised there was an impressive concentration of growing, innovative companies from a wide range of sectors here, and it was strategically important for us to be able to provide support and investment on the ground.
From a historic bias on heavy industry, Wales has evolved greatly and is now home to exciting companies from a variety of industries including specialist manufacturing, technology, life sciences, leisure and media.
Some of our most notable deals in Wales have been Penn Pharma, a specialist contract manufacturing business, which was acquired by US-based Packaging Co-ordinators Inc in a deal valued at £127m, and TV production business Boom Pictures, which is now part-owned by ITV.
Whilst Welsh firms face challenges, from the impact of Brexit to difficulties with connectivity and logistics in some areas, there are many benefits to being based here. There is a wide pool of talented graduates and workers, an improving infrastructure, a competitive cost environment and the knock-on effect of having some big brands such as Aston Martin move here.
LDC is committed to helping Welsh business grow and succeed, and we’ve been delighted by the appetite and enthusiasm we’ve found so far.
Radnor Hills, AerFin, Hydro Industries and Joules all featured in the Western Mail on the 28th June 2017.
Backing ambition in the South West
We launched our Bristol office nine years ago and since then we’ve provided the financial backing and support to help many ambitious management teams drive forward their growth plans.
Amongst other things we have helped through supporting international expansion, investing in research and development to launch a new product, or expanding operational facilities to increase capacity and improve productivity.
Crucially, we’re the only private equity house with an office in this part of the world, which is astonishing given the scale of ambition and the concentration of high-growth firms with a truly differentiated product or service.
This is just one of the reasons why we’re ramping up our investment in the region: £50m was invested out of our Bristol office last year alone.
The core industry in this region is aerospace – Rolls Royce’s factory is based here, as are many firms that supply the engine-maker. But there are also a lot of financial services firms, and food and drink is now a hot sector.
It is exciting, entrepreneurial firms like these that are delivering real innovation and driving economic growth.
MoveGB, Omega Resource Group, Qualasept and A-Gas all featured in the Bristol Post on 21st June 2017.
Backing ambition in the West Midlands
This year, LDC celebrates 30 years supporting businesses across the Midlands.
Over that time, we’ve invested a total of £1.2bn in 150 ambitious and innovative firms.
Being local to the businesses we back is very important to the team here. It means we can go out and see business owners, and they can visit us, which makes us part of the fabric of this entrepreneurial community.
While the Midlands is home to many different types of business operating across a wide spread of industries, it certainly hasn’t lost its heritage as the “workshop of the world”.
We’ve backed a lot of companies in the manufacturing and engineering sectors. But the fast-growing knowledge economy in the region has also created many fast-growing IT businesses, and innovative consumer brands.
Ultimately, we are looking for ambitious management teams who want our support to meet their growth goals.
Be that through opening up international expansion opportunities, helping to buy and integrate complementary businesses or providing investment to unlock growth potential.
Our model is firmly a partnership – we don’t want to take over, and we aren’t looking for control. The NEC Group is one such example of ambition and partnership, but we have many more across our portfolio. The region really is a hotbed of entrepreneurship, full of hidden gems that are poised to become the big successes of tomorrow.
Titania, RDM, Mercato and The NEC Group all featured in the Birmingham Post on 15th June 2017.