BGF reinvests in Barburrito and Xercise4Less

UK-based Business Growth Fund (BGF) has announced two investments of follow-on capital into two of its portfolio companies. It has re-invested in Mexican street food chain, Barburrito and budget gym chain, Xercise4Less.

PRESS RELEASE

BGF (Business Growth Fund), the UK’s leading independent investor of growth capital in UK smaller and medium sized businesses, has announced investments totalling £5.6m, of follow-on capital, into two investee businesses: award-winning Mexican street food chain, Barburrito (£3.6m) and budget gym chain, Xercise4Less (£2m).

BGF will still retain a minority stake in each of these businesses following this latest round of investment.

John Swarbrick, BGF’s Head of Portfolio, commented:
“We are an investor of just three years standing and the majority of our investments are still less than 18 months old. However, we are already seeing many encouraging signs of growth across the portfolio of companies that we have backed. This sort of sustained growth often requires the provision of further funding and the ability to provide this forms a critical element of BGF’s offer.”

Morgan Davies, MD and founder of Barburrito, said of the additional funding:
“We started this great burrito race in the UK and as I have always said, this is more than a business…it’s a passion. The further funding provided by BGF is a great step forward for our business. It offers us a vote of confidence and most importantly, the funds with which to continue to take the business forward.”

Since BGF backed Barburrito with an initial investment of £3.25m in March 2012, it has opened three new restaurants across London and additional sites in Leeds and Nottingham; and has established its position as the UK’s first burrito bar with a national presence. Its existing sites have also continued to experience strong like for like sales growth. The company’s turnover has doubled over the past year alone with a net sales run rate of over £8m, and it now employs 200 people nationwide.

Following this latest investment, Graham Turner the former CEO of the Tragus Group (the UK’s largest independent restaurant companies with more than 290 sites across the country) has joined the board of Barburrito as a Non-Executive Chairman. This introduction was made via BGF’s Talent Network.

Leeds based low cost gym chain, Xercise4Less, which received a £5m investment from BGF in August 2013, is also performing strongly and is on track to secure a further 11 sites this year, bringing its total to 29 gyms located across the country.

– Ends –

Contacts:
Corinna Osborne, Equity Dynamics – 07825 326 440
corinnna@equitydynamics.co.uk

Notes to editors:

About BGF:

BGF is an independent company that has been established to help Britain’s growing businesses with a turnover between £5m-£100m. Growth potential is the key criteria. BGF will invest between £2m and £10m per business in return for a minority equity stake and a seat on the board for a BGF director. BGF will provide long-term equity investment for those growing companies that today do not have access to this source of capital. As such BGF hopes to be a catalyst for growth among smaller UK companies.

BGF is an independent company with capital of up to £2.5 billion, backed by five of the UK’s main banking groups – Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS, and Standard Chartered. BGF is managed completely autonomously with an independent management team.

Key facts and figures:
? 90 people at seven offices across six UK regions
? Over £300m of growth capital invested in 53 companies from 18 sectors
? Almost 7,000 people currently employed by BGF backed companies
? More than money for investee businesses, for example BGF has placed 43 highly experienced non-executive chairman and non-executives