High Access Maintenance, the Manchester headquartered ‘working-at-height’ specialist, has secured a GBP3.3 million investment from BGF (Business Growth Fund) to pursue further growth across the UK.
Founded in 2005 by chief executive Niel Bethell, the business carries out at-height work for major property management firms including CBRE, Savills and Allied London.
Generating turnover of GBP5m through its planned project and reactive services, services include roof, gutter and lighting maintenance and high level cleaning, glazing and coating services.
Bethell and his management team already employ the highest number of at-height operatives in the North West and plan to expand the teams across London and Birmingham in response burgeoning property development and redevelopment market. According to think tank New London Architecture, there are 436 structures of 20 storeys or more in the pipeline in the City of London, providing significant market opportunity for the business.
High Access has built a first-class reputation for health and safety and holds a number of safety accreditations in a highly regulated market. Atypical of other firms in the sector, the firm owns its own equipment and employs staff directly, which means it can respond quickly and efficiently to customer requests. The business was accredited as a UK living wage employer in May 2016.
To support its growth, Bethell has appointed Stuart Lees as non-executive chairman. Lees is founder of Signia Corporate Finance, former managing director at Altium Capital and former chief executive of Latium Group, a manufacturer and retailer of windows.
High Access joins a growing number of UK businesses that have chosen BGF as a minority equity partner. So far this year, in the North West, BGF has invested in Grace Cole, RMS International and Sofology, and provided further growth capital to investee businesses TD4, the company behind Boost Juice Bars and The Shake Lab, and Barburrito.
Bethell says: “Having built a strong customer base and a fantastic in-house team through our focus on safety, scope of work and responsiveness, now is the right time to accelerate our growth plans. We are well placed to take advantage of the market opportunities, and BGF’s investment allows us to put our strategy into immediate action.”
BGF’s Neil Inskip, who joins the board of High Access, says: “High Access is a quality business run by an ambitious management team. Over the past five years, we have seen more and more of North West businesses come to the fore with the confidence to pursue their growth strategy. That’s a positive development, and I believe a good prognosis for region’s business community.”
