News

LDC, the leading regional UK mid-market private equity house, has committed to invest £20m in a new restaurants-focused, food and beverage fund to be run by Hill Capital Partners LLP, the investment and advisory firm founded and run by Paul Campbell, the former chief executive of restaurant company The Clapham House Group PLC.

The investment by LDC will be used to buy into high growth UK-based restaurant and bar businesses which are at a growth stage of development with a small number of outlets but offering potential for significant roll-out expansion. The fund is likely to make initial investments of between £1m and £4m into businesses with an established track-record with high calibre innovative management teams.

The new fund with Hill Capital is further demonstration of LDC’s commitment to the wider retail and consumer sectors, working alongside management teams at the companies in which it invests to maximize long term growth for the business.

Paul Campbell has a strong track record of identifying, investing in and managing high growth F&B businesses through his firm Hill Capital Partners and in prior executive managerial roles at The Clapham House Group PLC and Pizza Express. Hill Capital holds stakes in F & B businesses including Tortilla Mexican Grill, Hawksmoor, and Vinoteca. Paul founded and launched Clapham House as a £15m AIM shell which then successfully backed and grew several businesses including Gourmet Burger Kitchen and The Real Greek, before being sold for £40m in November 2010 to Nando’s Group Holdings Limited.

LDC will continue to actively invest independently into the consumer sector as part of its on-going investment into growth mid-market companies. LDC has invested around £200 million of equity into new businesses since the start of 2012 across a range of sectors. LDC has more than 30 years of experience in investing in growth companies, having transacted on more than 400 investments. In total LDC has a portfolio of more than 60 current investments valued in excess of £2 billion.

Tim Farazmand, a Managing Director of LDC London, comments:

“LDC has a strong investment track record in the retail and consumer sectors and is looking forward to making more specialist investments within the food and beverages markets. Paul’s proven industry expertise and entrepreneurial flair will be essential in helping to identify young restaurant and bar chains which possess innovative and proven concepts, strong management and high growth potential.

"We believe a combination of LDC and Hill Capital can drive significant growth for the companies in which we invest, providing the resource, skills and track record to help management accelerate the development of their business.”

Paul Campbell, founder of Hill Capital Partners LLP, comments:

“I am delighted to be teaming up LDC to launch this new specialist fund. We will invest in young restaurant and bar businesses with ambitious growth plans. In LDC I have found ideal partners who embrace my vision for identifying talented management alongside with whom we can work to help grow innovative businesses.

The restaurants and bar businesses are growth sectors for those with the imagination to provide fresh and novel concepts. We are going to invest in some great companies over the next few years and are already looking closely at our first investments.”

For further information please contact:

Richard Morgan Evans   / James Rossiter

Morgan Rossiter                                                                                                                T: 0207 629 9101