Lonsdale operates exclusively at the lower end of the mid-market, looking to invest in companies making between £2 and £7 million of EBITDA. We typically aim to invest between £10 and £20 million in each business we partner with, but can start below this range, if there is an opportunity to deploy further capital over the life time of the investment (e.g. a buy and build opportunity).
We are a generalist investor, which means we work with businesses in a wide variety of sectors headquartered in the UK and Ireland. We focus primarily on the Business Services and Healthcare sectors, but will consider opportunities in all sectors that meet our investment criteria. We like growing businesses who are leaders in their market niche, with ambitious and driven management teams and are always looking at ways to help supercharge growth.
We are wholly incentivised to encourage and assist growth and development and are completely aligned with the other shareholders, including management.
We are growth facilitators, investing in and supporting our companies as much as required. We typically have two seats on the board of each of our partner companies and help shape and refine company strategies on an ongoing basis. Ultimately, we back people: day to day management of businesses will always stay with the management team but we ensure we are available 24/7 to listen and help at every opportunity.
On acquisition, we only ever look to use modest levels of debt, recognising that our companies need to be reinvesting in themselves. This also means management can focus on running their businesses and growth, rather than managing the bank.
We pride ourselves on being honest and straightforward operators. We enter every transaction as a partnership, working closely with management to try and facilitate growth. This cannot be achieved without collaboration and hence solid, trusted working relationships are key. As a result, we have a very high re-investment rate from Founders whose ongoing involvement is invaluable.
We partnered with Lonsdale because of their straightforward, hands on approach to business. They are completely aligned with the other shareholders, including Management. They were always looking to add value where possible without trying to run our business. They were the ideal partner to take the business to our introduction onto the stock market and have remained supportive since then as a substantial investor.Remy Millot, CEO GYG plc
We partner with growing niche businesses in the UK and Europe in the lower mid-market. In practice this means investing £10 to £20 million in companies making between £2 and £7 million across all sectors.