Footwear wholesaler, D. Jacobson & Sons Limited, has secured a £7 million ABL facility from Independent Growth Finance (IGF). As a branded operation the company saw large opportunities for growth within their portfolio. The Lancashire based seller required additional working capital resource to expand into new international markets and invest in online technology to support progression during the pandemic and beyond.  

Luxtripper, the fast-growth luxury travel business, has closed its latest investment round at £1.2m. The funding, raised from high-net worth individuals and former travel executives, will be used to double Luxtripper’s destination offering over the next three years, as well as further develop its proprietary technology platform and hire for roles across the business. The latest round brings total investment in the business to £3.1m since 2015, as it continues to bring cutting-edge technology to the luxury travel market.

GIBIE Home Furnishings Ltd. today concluded its pilot equity crowd funding campaign on CrowdCube platform. In this campaign, GIBIE has raised a £158,000 pounds in just 30 days, overshooting its initially set target by staggering 300%. The campaign received an exciting participation from 350+ investors across 30+ countries.

MEL Science, a London-based science educational platform, has secured $14 million in Series B funding to support demand for its subscription-based offering. International investors include Mubadala Investment Company, Channel 4 Ventures and other entities from Europe and China.  As a leading EdTech innovator, MEL Science aims to bring science to life through educational kits, combining hands-on experiments with interactive VR simulations and live lessons – created to help students learn in intuitive, engaging ways. Its award-winning products are designed for children aged 5 – 14 and are intended to be used either as an at-home teaching aid or by schools.

Retail expert Dr Gordon Fletcher, of the University of Salford Business School, looks at what has gone wrong for the former titan of the high street and its boss Philip Green.

Icelandic airline software vendor Dohop has raised an undisclosed growth equity round from Scottish Equity Partners (SEP). With this investment, Dohop will be able to accelerate its plans to transform how airlines and other travel providers enable passengers to build complex itineraries as the global travel industry transforms in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

RB's (Reckitt Benckiser) new purpose-led venture arm, RB Ventures, has backed space-age laundry and dry-cleaning startup, Oxwash, who are on a sustainability mission within the sector. The strategic partnership will provide Oxwash with access to RB Venture’s global scale and expertise, helping to solidify the startup as the new leaders in sustainable laundry. Along with strategic mentorship, RB’s EVP of Group Marketing Excellence and Category Development Organisation Hygiene, Fabrice Beaulieu will be taking a position on the Oxwash board, helping the company to set and achieve its sustainability goals.

NorthEdge has supported the management buyout of Lights4fun, one of Europe’s leading e-commerce retailers of decorative lighting, to further expand the business’ existing market presence internationally.

Alphagreen, Europe’s leading marketplace for CBD and alternative healthcare products,has secured £1.1m of seed funding to help finance the roll out of new products and services alongside their expansion into the US. This is the largest amount raised to date in Europe for a CBD marketplace. Participants in the seed round included Stockholm-based Enexis AB, US cannabis fund West Creek Investments and angel investors, including Igor and Oleg Tikhturov. 

BGF – the UK’s most active growth capital investor – has invested £8 million into Midlands-headquartered UK Flooring Direct to support its ongoing growth ambitions.

UK Flooring Direct is an online retailer supplyingquality own-brand wood, laminate, and vinyl flooring direct to consumers and trade, growing from an early ecommerce pioneer, to now being regarded as a market leader in the home improvement market.

Online product discovery platform, Product Guru, has secured funds of £330,000 to disrupt the traditional retail buying process by re-inventing how products end up on shelves.

A trio of Oxfordshire day nurseries have been acquired by a fast-growing independent education provider. Chatsworth Schools, which is itself headquartered in Oxfordshire, has purchased Tiny Toes Day Nurseries in a deal arranged by the childcare business transfer specialist Abacus Day Nursery Sales, a specialist division of Blacks Business Brokers.