Entertainment industry ‘giant’ looks to expand US footprint with HSBC UK funding

Entertainment industry company Rubber Road has received a £6m funding package from HSBC UK to help grow its international footprint.

Rubber Road serves as the parent company to various entertainment industry brands, including Numskull and Tubbz, which specialise in official merchandise such as collectibles, clothing, homewares and gaming accessories for well-known entertainment franchises like Harry Potter, Fortnite and Sonic the Hedgehog.

The company boasts an ‘impressive’ partnership base including Universal, Paramount, PlayStation, Xbox, and Warner Bros.

Over the next 18 months, Rubber Road plans to achieve up to 30 per cent growth domestically and internationally by increasing sales to large retailers such as B&M, Amazon and Smyths Toys in the UK and Walmart in the US, as well as continuing to sell through its website.

In 2022, the UK gaming consumer market stood at £7.05bn. Rubber Road is planning to significantly increase its annual turnover by expanding its North American footprint, allowing for larger orders of popular merchandise.

The business will also continue to create new product lines to keep up to date with the latest films such as Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2, Beetlejuice 2, Sonic 3 and Wicked.

Ben Grant, Co-Founder of Rubber Road Ltd, commented: “We’ve enjoyed fantastic growth over the last few years with the rise of interest in pop culture, and have been able to engage North American, Asian and Middle Eastern markets as a result of increased demand for merchandise.”

Nick Young, Area Director at HSBC UK, added: “With the UK entertainment industry worth £81.4bn last year, Rubber Road is part of a booming sector that we’re keen to support. The group’s international growth ambitions align with our global footprint so we’re well-placed to support this funding package as well as with our Global Wallet proposition.”

HSBC’s Global Wallet is an award-winning multi-currency account that allows businesses to pay and receive like a local business in certain foreign jurisdictions.

The deal came through HSBC UK’s newly launched commercial broker scheme. Under the new scheme, accredited commercial finance brokers will be able to provide business leads to HSBC UK’s relationship managers.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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