Northern Escalators gets £6.4m from BGF

Specialist engineering business, Northern Escalator Installations, has secured a £6.4m investment from BGF to support its expansion in the UK and Europe.

Founded by MD Kevin Johnson in 1999, the Halifax-headquartered company installs, refurbishes and repairs escalators.

Employing a team of 85 precision engineers and technical staff, recent work includes escalator installation at Anfield Football Stadium in Liverpool and Paddington Station, as part of the London Crossrail Underground. The group generated revenues of in excess of £12m in 2017.

Northern Escalators has been winning a growing number of contracts in mainland Europe, and established a second base there earlier in 2017. The group now has offices in both Germany and Sweden to service a large and growing customer base.

Northern Escalators will use BGF’s funding to expand its services which, in addition to installation and maintenance, include storage, design, build-up, transportation and modernisation. The business works closely with major escalator and lift manufacturers including Kone, Schindler, Otis and ThyssenKrupp, and is well placed to capitalise on the increase in commercial and transport infrastructure projects.

As part of the investment, Stuart Black joins the company as non-executive Chair following an introduction by BGF. Stuart is also Chair of BGF-backed TCL, an estate management business, and has been supporting its expansion across the UK. Gareth Judson also joins the board as Operations Director.

In recent months, BGF has provided further investment to Leeds-headquartered, Nationwide Window Cleaning which has experienced 100 per cent sales growth since BGF’s investment in 2014.

Kevin Johnson, Northern Escalator said: “we have attracted and retained a first-class team of engineers, which alongside our focus on quality, has helped us build a solid reputation and take on very technical projects.

“BGF’s long-term minority investment will allow us to press forward with our growth plans while retaining control of the business. We look forward to working with the BGF team, and welcoming Stuart Black to the board.”

Chris Boyes, BGF said: “Kevin and his team have built a business of significant scale in a niche but growing area. Their expertise has enabled the business to become the UK’s leading provider of escalator services, with significant scope for further growth, both in the UK and Europe. We are delighted to be supporting the company as they further expand their operations.”