Leading Welsh manufacturer of eco sash windows secures £14m investment for growth

BGF invests £14 million in manufacturer of uPVC sash windows, Victorian Sliders

Carmarthenshire, 31 August 2021: BGF – the UK and Ireland’s most active growth capital investor – has announced a £14 million investment in Victorian Sliders, a South Wales based business which is the UK’s only fully integrated, specialist manufacturer of uPVC sash windows.

Victorian Sliders’ end-to-end production facilities, from recycling of raw materials through to extrusion and fabrication, provides it with an excellent position in the growing home renovation market. The company delivers a high-quality, fully customised, eco product in industry leading timescales.

Established in 2005, Victorian Sliders is led by its founder and CEO, Scot Starkey. With a strong focus on customer service and reliability, Scot and his team operate from a purpose-built 240,000 square foot production facility based in Carmarthenshire, South Wales.

The significant investment from BGF will enable the management team to double production capacity and further invest in its recycling plant, helping it to cement its position as Europe’s largest specialist manufacturer of uPVC vertical sliding sash windows. Victorian Sliders is expecting to deliver over £30 million turnover this year.

Scot Starkey commented: “We are delighted to have secured this investment from BGF, while also benefiting from BGF’s unparalleled business expertise. This investment will enable us to grow faster, support our customers better and expand our existing team of highly skilled and dedicated employees.

“Victorian Sliders offers an unrivalled service in the replacement of sash windows. The business has been built on a strong product offering and we have constantly invested in our facilities over the years. Today’s funding from BGF will enable us to realise our growth potential and, along with Ian Cunningham (CFO) and the rest of the management team, we are extremely excited about the future.”

Edwin Davies, Investor at BGF who has joined the board, said: “It’s a great time to work with an ambitious business such as Victorian Sliders. The company has an impressive product range and some very exciting growth plans, which we are looking forward to helping them deliver. We’re particularly excited about investing in a Welsh manufacturing business, as the country is home to many of the UK’s most ambitious growth economy companies. Through the provision of equity investment and our board support, we’re sure Victorian Sliders is destined for an exciting future.”

The deal was led for BGF by Edwin Davies and Hannah Waters, who worked closely with Scot Starkey (CEO) and Ian Cunningham (CFO) at Victorian Sliders, supported by the team from Lexington Corporate Finance.

Mark Huxtable also joins the board at completion as non-executive Chair. Mark has significant experience in manufacturing through his 30-year career at Nuaire.

The advisors to the transaction were:

BGF:

• Legals: Lewis Silkin – Geraint Tilsley, Stacy Treharne
• Financial & Tax: Kilsby & Williams – Mary McDonagh, Lucy Creese, Kaye Morris

Victorian Sliders:

• Lexington Corporate Finance – Gary Partridge, Tom Coombes, Pablo Shorney
• Capital Law – Melanie Williams, Catherine James
• Parisi Tax – Lisa Stevenson