Growth Capital invests in Arrow Business

Growth Capital Partners has invested in Arrow Business Communications. Financial terms weren’t announced. Arrow is UK telecommunications provider. GCA Altium provided financial advice to Arrow and its shareholders.

PRESS RELEASE

GCA Altium advises Arrow Business Communications on its investment from Growth Capital Partners

GCA Altium acted as exclusive financial advisor to the shareholders of Arrow Business Communications, a leading UK telecommunications provider and one of only a handful of service providers holding multiple Tier-1 MNO relationships. The investment from GCP will help secure future M&A activity and fast track growth.

Arrow provides mobile, fixed line and IT support services to approximately 4,000 customers across the UK, including a number of blue chip companies. The Company has achieved significant growth via M&A recently, having completed seven acquisitions in six years, nearly trebling in size as a result. Arrow’s product offering has developed over time from a mobile-led offering into a broader business communications service provider, with capabilities across fixed- and hosted-lines, data and IT services.

Arrow was formed as a division of Sony Communications in the early 1990s until a management buyout led by current CEO, Chris Russell, in 2003. Following the recent investment, Arrow and GCP will work in partnership, with management and GCP each having a 50% shareholding in the business.

Chris Russell, CEO of Arrow, stated: “I am delighted that GCP has invested in our business and we look forward to working in partnership with them in order to help Arrow continue to flourish. My thanks go to the team at GCA Altium for their advice and support throughout. Their expertise and commitment helped to ensure a smooth process and an excellent outcome for all parties.”

GCA Altium acted as exclusive financial advisor to Arrow and its shareholders. Stephen Georgiadis, Managing Director of GCA Altium, commented: “We thoroughly enjoyed working with Chris and the team at Arrow and are pleased to have helped secure funding for the next stage of the company’s growth.”

This latest transaction sees Altium build on its leading position in European technology advisory, having completed 17 transactions in the last 12 months. Other recent deals include the sale of Alan Dick Communications to Panasonic, Axel Springer Digital Ventures GmbH’s sale of Smarthouse Media GmbH to adesso AG, a majority investment in Guestline by The Riverside Company and the acquisition of d&b audiotechnik by Ardian.