Canada’s Ardenton Capital expands into UK with Manchester opening

Private equity firm Ardenton Capital has set its sights on the UK midmarket with the launch of an office in Manchester.

The Canada-headquartered company, which invests with a long-term focus and says its has no intention of divesting the businesses it acquires, will be headed up by two M&A professionals from the region.

Michael Bradbury has joined Ardenton from accountancy and business advisory company BDO UK, while Iain Marlow previously worked for professional services firm Deloitte UK.

By expanding into the UK, Ardenton will aim to invest £100m globally in 2017 and £500m during the next five years.

The firm will target companies with an EBITDA of between £2m and £10m.

Ardenton director Iain Marlow said: “Private equity funds will usually look to invest in businesses and industries that are either in, or about to embark on a phase of rapid growth.

“We are sector-neutral and will focus on investing in robust growing businesses supplying products or services that will be as relevant in 20 years’ time as they are today.”

He continued: “We understand that markets move in cycles and we believe in ensuring our businesses are financially robust by employing conservative levels of debt.

“The North West is the perfect place for Ardenton to access UK businesses in the regions with a track record of financial robustness and clear organic growth opportunities that will stand the test of time.”

Ardenton is headquartered in Vancouver, with additional Canadian offices in Toronto and Edmonton.

In addition to its Manchester opening, the company plans to launch US offices in Dallas and Philadelphia during Q1 2017.

Director Michael Bradbury commented: “We work closely with our business partners to first identify and then remove constraints which may be holding back the business.

“Sometimes this can be as simple as de-risking entrepreneurs to give them the financial security they need for them to go on and drive the business to its next phase of growth or providing a staged succession plan enabling a business owner to exit over time.”