SVELLA Plc, a privately funded investment vehicle set up to develop distressed and underperforming operating businesses and companies with significant growth potential in exciting sectors, has joined with Arete Capital Partners to invest in business solutions group Leonard Curtis. The deal sees a £15 million investment into the professional services firm, valuing Leonard Curtis at £40 million.
SVELLA and Arete will utilise their combined resource and expertise working alongside the Leonard Curtis management team to enable Leonard Curtis to enter its next phase of growth and develop within the marketplace.
With 239 employees working across its 18 UK offices, the Leonard Curtis Business Solutions Group is the largest privately owned professional services provider of corporate restructuring and insolvency in the UK and in the last financial year generated revenues of £25m and EBITDA of £6m.
The business was founded in 1995 and offers a range of financial solutions to SMEs and business owners, including corporate restructuring and insolvency, legal services via LC Legal and finance raising via Reach Commercial Finance. The group is also parent to Lifecyle, a unique national network of over 1,600 member firms of accountants, created to help provide clients with the specialist services they need beyond the normal compliance-based offering.
Andrew Tinkler, SVELLA chairman said: “This is an exciting opportunity to allow a pooling of complementary expertise and experience, working in partnership with the team at Arete, in supporting the Leonard Curtis management team as they work to deliver on their plans to achieve their ambitions for growth and strengthened expertise in this sector.”
Simon Lord, Arete Capital Partners joint managing partner, said: “Leonard Curtis has a strong core business model and its management team has a clear vision for the future. Combined with our experience in building professional services businesses, we believe our exciting partnership with SVELLA will further strengthen Leonard Curtis as a leading business solutions provider in the UK.”
Dan Booth, Leonard Curtis chief executive, said: “Our plans for growth have been in the pipeline for some time and this investment from Arete and SVELLA will enable us to fulfil these plans and reach our potential at a time where we expect a surge in demand for the services we provide. In addition, this will create opportunities for everyone at Leonard Curtis. Our people are our greatest asset and without them the growth achieved to date in the business would not have been possible and they will play a huge part in creating our exciting future.”
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