[June 2019]
Fourth Wall Creative receives growth investment round
Foresight invests £5 million growth capital into technology-led football merchandising business Fourth Wall Creative
Foresight Group LLP is pleased to announce a £5 million growth capital
investment into Fourth Wall Creative Limited a technology-led merchandising business servicing the football industry.
Based in Bromborough, Merseyside, FWC was founded in 2010 by CEO Anton Botes and Joe Moroney who identified the need for an improved service for design and sourcing of merchandise within the football market. Since then the business has established itself as a market leader in the design and fulfilment of branded merchandise for football clubs.
Using several proprietary software packages to automate the process of
ordering and tracking products, FWC’s 360-degree solution saves its customers hours of administration that historically came with merchandise fulfilment.
Since winning its first football contract with Liverpool FC, the Company’s
customer base has grown to include ten Premier League football clubs including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as several Championship football clubs.
FWC has benefitted from the success of Premier League football clubs in
Europe this season, assisting Liverpool FC organising and planning their
Champions League victory parade.
The investment from Foresight will allow the Company to deliver significant growth within its existing markets and capitalise on clear opportunities in Europe, across other sports and in non-sporting organisations. The team also has plans to develop new products and software packages that will facilitate further growth.
CloudOrigin CEO Richard Hall commented:
“It was a great pleasure to work with Foresight on another technology powered UK growth business, combining creative digital presence with real-world logistics to deliver a great membership experience for Football supporters.”
In addition to its investment, Foresight has introduced Richard Styles,
founder and former Chairman of Kitbag.com, as Non-Executive Chairman. Richard will use his extensive industry experience and contacts to support the Company’s growth over the coming years.
Commenting on the investment,
David Miles, Investment Manager at
Foresight said: “
Fourth Wall Creative has grown rapidly in recent years
due to its exceptional reputation in the football sector. Throughout the
process we have been impressed by the team’s ambition and commitment to
innovation and quality of service. We are very excited to partner with Anton
and the team to support the Company in continuing on its impressive growth
trajectory.”
Anton Botes, Founder and CEO of FWC added: “
Fourth Wall
Creative has grown rapidly over the past three years and we’re delighted to
have secured Foresight as our strategic partner to help us grow the business
even further. We’ll continue to invest in our services and further develop
our software offering to complement our awarding-winning creative team and innovative merchandise manufacturing. We’re excited about the future and will strive to remain the industry leader, providing 360-degree solutions
and support to our customers within the beautiful game and beyond.”
Advisers on the deal included:
Legal advisers: RW Blears LLP and Simkins LLP
Financial due diligence: Dow Schofield Watts
Commercial due diligence: RPL Advisory
Management due diligence: Catalysis Advisory
Technology due diligence: CloudOrigin
Tax due diligence: Tax Advisory Partnership
Corporate Finance: EIS Solutions
About Foresight Group LLP (“Foresight”):
Foresight is a leading independent infrastructure and
private equity investment manager which has been managing investment funds on
behalf of institutions and retail clients for more than 35 years.
Foresight has £2.9 billion of Assets Under Management
across a number of funds, including Listed Vehicles, Limited Partnerships,
Enterprise Investment Schemes (EISs), Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) and
Inheritance Tax Solutions using Business Property Relief (BPR).
Foresight’s Private Equity team, comprising 24 investment
professionals, pursues four discrete but complementary investment styles:
Venture, Impact, Growth and Replacement Capital through its growing regional
office network.
Foresight was recently named Fund Manager of the Year at the PLC Awards. Foresight was awarded ‘Generalist VCT of the Year’ at the Investment Week Tax Efficiency Awards 2018/19 and was a finalist in the 2018 Unquote British Private Equity Awards as Venture and Growth Capital House of the Year. In 2017, Foresight was voted ‘Best VCT Investment Manager’ at the Growth Investor Awards, having been previously awarded ‘VCT House of the Year’ at the 2016 Unquote British Private Equity awards.
Foresight is headquartered in London with regional UK offices in Manchester, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Leicester and Guernsey and international offices in Sydney, Rome, Madrid and Seoul.
For more information on the deal Click here.