BGF establishes base in Wales

Patient capital investor BGF is set to open a permanent office in Wales as it continues to scale its operations across the UK & Ireland.

BGF’s team covering Wales is Regional Director Paul Oldham, investors Edwin Davies and Ned Dorbin for South Wales, and Neil Inskip and Rhys Davenport in North Wales. The new office is located in Cardiff’s Creative Quarter in the town centre and will serve as a base to build even closer connections to businesses, banks and advisors across the country.

BGF’s investments in Wales include BVG Group, a multichannel retailer based in Brecon, Powys and Cardiff-based waste management company, Wales Environmental. BGF’s funding is used to support a range of growth strategies including acquisitions, rollouts, capital investment projects and also to provide cash for shareholders wishing to realise some of their equity value.

The decision to open a permanent office in Wales reflects BGF’s desire to provide funding to a greater number of ambitious Welsh companies to support their growth plans.

An established and independent company, BGF provides equity funding to businesses with revenues typically between £5m and £100m in exchange for a minority, non-controlling stake. BGF has more than £2.5bn to invest exclusively in small and mid-sized firms headquartered in the UK and Ireland, and is in the top ten most active investors globally.

Paul Oldham, BGF’s Regional Director, said: “We provide patient capital to businesses that want to maximise their growth. We are a long-term investor and a supportive minority partner to the companies we back, which means we don’t take control. Our investment approach is unique and is designed to be very attractive to business owners – we provide support for many different growth strategies and we don’t force owners to sell their company.”

“There are many Welsh businesses that could grow more quickly and compete internationally if they had more funding and a stronger balance sheet. We are keen to meet those companies and to help them realise their full potential.”