Central Roofing Group is a premium provider of commercial roofing services operating from five branches across England and Wales.
Central has over 35 years' heritage as a commercial roofing company. It offers a comprehensive set of refurbishment, maintenance and building-envelope solutions to public-sector clients across education, healthcare and local authorities as well as specialist private-sector projects for nuclear power stations and commercial properties.
Central’s business is based on deep expertise, long-standing relationships, a reputation for quality, and a strong health and safety culture.
“The directors are delighted to have selected Prefequity as a partner for the next chapter of our journey. We found the structure of Prefequity’s investment particularly attractive as it introduces finance on the right terms to support the next stage of the business’ growth”
“Prefequity’s investment benefits from robust downside protection, with the ageing roofs of the UK’s schools and hospitals offering a steady stream of future work for Central, and also participates in the significant upside opportunity as the business expands nationwide”
Established in 2000, HCI is a Brighton-based provider of private medical insurance to expatriates in over 120 countries. It acts as an MGA for third-party carriers that bear the insurance risk.
Following its original investment of growth capital in 2018, Prefequity provided follow-on investment in 2021 to fund a management buy-out and to allow the founders to exit.
“We are delighted to be partnering with HCI. The management team has built a strong franchise in a niche segment of the health insurance market that enjoys a high level of recurring revenue, above-inflation price increases and favourable demographics. This transaction is another excellent example of our philosophy of offering investors strong downside protection coupled with the opportunity to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through our equity ownership”
“The Prefequity team delivered a flexible funding package that was a creative alternative to a traditional private-equity structure. We look forward to working together over the next few years as we continue to grow HCI and to take advantage of the significant market opportunities we have identified”
Now Education is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of staff for primary, secondary and SEND schools across England and Wales, led by its co-founder and Managing Director, Alex Westworth.
Founded in 2010, Now Education supplies around 1,600 supply staff to more than 800 schools per week across England and Wales. It recruits in more than 20 regions and has permanent offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London and Nottingham.
Comprising a team of nearly 40 consultants and ten back-office support staff, 95% of its business is from contract revenue with more than 75% of placements six weeks in length or longer.
“Prefequity’s approach to investment has allowed me the opportunity to take control of Now Education and Gary to realise his share value. The Prefequity team are pragmatic, forward-thinking people with a keen eye for detail and offer valuable experience and perspective that will help make Now Education stronger”
“The combination of excellent management, strong cash generation, diverse customer base, publicly funded revenues and stable market demand all provide excellent downside protection for our investment. In addition, Now’s business model, which allows it to attract and retain exceptional talent, means that it is well placed to maintain its track record of impressive growth”
Parabellum is a family office operating as a global private equity firm with deep expertise in the IT and software sectors.
Parabellum looks to grow companies both organically and through acquisition, leveraging its management experience and track record.
Portfolio companies include ieDigital, a developer of mid-market digital banking platforms; Advanco, a specialist in track-and-trace serialisation software for the pharmaceutical industry; and Parseq, a trusted business process outsourcer specialising in workflow solutions.
“Parabellum has a diverse portfolio of companies that benefit from sticky revenue streams, strong cash generation, long-standing customer relationships and significant barriers to entry that together provide substantial downside protection for us. In addition, we are excited by the growth opportunities that this funding should help unlock, both organically and from the pipeline of targeted bolt-on acquisitions”
WH Good is a family-run provider of mechanical and electrical engineering services based in Haslingden, Lancashire.
Founded in 1922, WH Good provides mechanical and electrical engineering services to customers across sectors including utilities, airports, local government, manufacturing and process industries.
“The Prefequity team delivered a bespoke funding package that was a creative alternative to a traditional lending structure. We look forward to working together over the next few years as we continue to grow WH Good and deliver value for our customers and shareholders”
“The management team has built a strong franchise in the M&E sector that enjoys a high level of recurring revenue from repair & maintenance expenditure, backed by long-term framework agreements. The longevity of its key customer relationships is a testament to the flexible, high-quality service that the company provides”