Fintech PR
Acquisition of Woven Group, accelerates iCXperience, the UK’s largest Privately Owned Call Centre Group towards £100m Turnover
- Acquiring most of the assets and trading business of the Woven Group from the administrators resulted in the saving of approx. 250 jobs and the creation in 2024 of an additional 200 new jobs.
- Included in the acquisition was the purchase of T-point, a software business previously acquired by the Woven Group in a £10m deal.
- Nine months after being acquired by the UK’s largest BPO Assembly, the Woven Group has shown to be back in profit.
MANCHESTER, England, March 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — iCXperience, the UK’s largest private-owned call centre group, has announced its first four months trading results from the acquisition of Woven, a prominent UK based BPO (Business Processes Outsourcing), of which has achieved profitability within its first year of transition.
Woven, based in Bristol & Ipswich has delivered its first ever profit in several years under its new ownership of iCXperience. Woven Solutions Group’s, which included well-known call centre companies such as Ansaback, Direct Response, and Office Response, was purchased and came out of administration last year.
With over £42.7m of capital deployed, Woven Solutions Group had rapidly grown since 2018 through acquisitions of several regional call centre businesses in Bristol, Ipswich, and across the UK.
Katherine Horton, Group HR, said: “We are delighted to have added the Woven Group into our Portfolio list. The acquisition ensured the continued growth and success of our business, and our first 9 months of working with our new colleagues at Woven has already delivered innovative and effective solutions for all our clients.”
Reuben Singh, Group CEO said: “We are currently involved in multiple acquisitions while experiencing significant year-on-year organic growth across its businesses. Our aim is to preserve the successful culture of Woven that has contributed to its accomplishments, whilst integrating it into our Group and enhance our overall capabilities across the various businesses.”
Last April, the Group acquired most of the assets and trading business from the administrators of Woven Solutions Group & several associated companies, saving hundreds of jobs. Woven and other planned acquisitions will accelerate the Group’s growth plans to exceed £100m turnover. The trademarks & brands of Woven were also acquired as part of the deal which along with most of the assets, safeguarded the employment of hundreds of staff who were transferred into the new company, that now trades as We are Woven.
In the last filed accounts before administration, WSL Group had revenues of over £19.6m, and the acquisition has given We Are Woven the ability to scale its UK operations and increase both its client base delivery of customer service outsourcing services. Since the acquisition We are Woven has continued to grow across different sectors, such as Ecommerce, and Facilities management, and supports the Telecommunications sector with emergency call-out and 24-hour customer services. The acquisition was funded with Group’s cash reserves, and it will continue to be 100% family-owned with no equity or debt partner.
We are Woven holds a very strong business proposition with a very established and experienced management team and the Woven Group has had significant invested in the business over the years with a long track record of established clients. The Woven acquisition was strategic for iCXperience as it adds presence of a 400-seater site in Bristol, Ipswich and large work base of homeworkers.
Reuben Singh, Group CEO adds: “We are pleased to have added the Woven Group last year to our portfolio of UK based Outsourcing Companies. This has given us an even stronger presence across the UK. We are proud to have acquired such well-established and reputable companies such as Direct Response, Ansaback, Office Response as part of the acquisition. We are committed to delivering the highest level of customer service outsourcing for our clients & also as we grow our Medical divisions that has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and as we emerge from this. This acquisition not only gives the Group meaningful scale and footprint across the UK, but it will also improve We are Woven’s ability to expand its service offering, increase its surge, and improve disaster recovery.”
About We Are Woven
We Are Woven is a customer experience agency based in Bristol and Ipswich. With over 400 employees, the company provide a range of services, including customer service support, digital marketing, and create design. We Are Woven is committed to delivering innovative and effective solutions to its clients, and it dedicated to providing the best possible customer experience.
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The partnership creates a formidable M&A war chest, enabling Recharge to seize opportunities in consolidating the prepaid payments industry.
LONDON, Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Recharge, the European leader in online prepaid payments, has secured a €45 million facility with ABN AMRO to fuel its ambitious M&A strategy. This funding will enable the company to drive consolidation across markets, open new segments and overall strengthen its leadership position in the prepaid payments industry.
The €45 million facility is part of a broader strategy to leverage strategic acquisitions as a growth driver. Combined with Recharge’s robust cash reserves, and following previous funding rounds, it has created a substantial war chest for M&A and aims to close two to three deals in 2025.
The competitive tender process attracted a range of proposals, with ABN AMRO emerging as the preferred partner. The bank’s confidence in Recharge’s market potential and alignment with their strategic approach were key factors in securing the deal.
Bas Janssen, senior banker Digital and Consumer clients, ABN AMRO, said: “ABN AMRO is proud to support Recharge as they continue to scale and innovate in the prepaid payments sector. ABN AMRO is on a trajectory to become the preferred tech bank in the Netherlands and North West Europe. This collaboration reflects our appetite to support digital transformation —one of our three strategic pillars. We see great promise in Recharge’s growth trajectory as they broaden their reach within the global prepaid payments space.”
Recharge’s CEO, Günther Vogelpoel, highlighted the company’s future outlook:
“This new facility comes at a pivotal time for Recharge as we embark on the next phase of our journey. I am excited to partner with ABN AMRO, whose support enables us to accelerate our growth strategy and reshape the prepaid payments landscape on our terms.”
The prepaid payments sector is evolving rapidly, fuelled by the shift from offline to online and the emergence of innovative use cases. Recharge’s unified digital solutions are at the forefront of this change, redefining how people and businesses leverage prepaid payment products. With 30% year-on-year revenue growth in 2024 and growing demand for its digital prepaid solutions, the company has the ambition to reach €1bn of sales in 2025.
PRESS QUERIES: [email protected]
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Former Managing Partner of Boston Consulting Group France to Help Lead the Firm Through Next Period of Growth
LONDON, Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — McWin Capital Partners (“McWin”), a specialist private equity and venture capital firm dedicated to the food ecosystem, is delighted to announce the appointment of Guillaume Charlin as Managing Partner.
Guillaume joins McWin from Boston Consulting Group’s (“BCG”) Paris office, where he spent 27 years. Throughout his career, Guillaume has primarily focused on advising clients in the consumer sector across Food & Beverage (“F&B”), Retail, Fashion and Luxury, which has resulted in an extensive track record of transforming and developing businesses in partnership with C-level executives and investors.
In addition, Guillaume held several senior leadership positions at BCG including Managing Partner for BCG France (overseeing 1,200 people) between 2018-2022, and European Leader for BCG’s consumer business between 2016-2018. In 2022, following its acquisition by BCG, Guillaume was appointed chairman of Quantis, an environmental sustainability consultancy with a focus on the food ecosystem.
As Managing Partner, Guillaume will be responsible, alongside the other Partners, for enhancing value creation across McWin’s portfolio whilst utilising his experience within the F&B industry to support McWin’s growth. He will help in developing and executing a growth strategy for McWin through initiatives such as geographic expansion and penetrating new sectoral markets. Guillaume will also join McWin’s Investment Committee and take an active leadership role in asset management.
Henry McGovern, Founding Partner at McWin commented: “We are delighted to welcome Guillaume to the McWin family. His in-depth knowledge of the food industry, alongside his expertise in management makes him the perfect match for us. Similarly to the rest of our senior leadership team, he brings an entrepreneurial background to the firm, and a passion for entrepreneurs and founders having invested in more than 20 companies over the past 25 years.
Guillaume’s experience gained over the years working alongside entrepreneurs in growth-stage firms has enabled him to become an expert in helping businesses flourish in a strategic way that is both pragmatic and impactful.”
Commenting, Guillaume Charlin said: “I am thrilled to join McWin and am very grateful to Henry, Steve, and the other Partners for their trust in helping lead the business into its next growth trajectory.
I am very impressed by the achievements of the McWin teams since inception. The entrepreneurial DNA, the operator’s mindset and the focus on the food ecosystem bring unique value added to McWin Capital Partners, CEOs, entrepreneurs and investors.
Building on these foundations, I believe McWin is uniquely positioned to shape and capture value creation opportunities as food ecosystems continue to transform by addressing challenges such as environmental impact, consumer health, and food sovereignty whilst simultaneously scaling brands in the restaurant sector.
I look forward to supporting McWin in its mission to create meaningful impact and drive innovation across the food ecosystem.”
Media information:
McWin Capital Partners
Gracechurch Group
For UK and International Media
Jeff Segvich
For French Media
William Moray
+44 (0)20 4582 3500
[email protected]
ABOUT MCWIN CAPITAL PARTNERS
McWin Capital Partners (“McWin”) is a specialist private equity and venture capital firm, dedicated to the food ecosystem. McWin has raised c. €1bn across three funds – McWin Food Ecosystem Fund, McWin Restaurant Fund and McWin Food Technology Fund – to support exceptional founders and CEOs who are at the forefront of impactful change in the food industry.
Since 2021, the firm has backed more than 20 of the most innovative and influential foodservice and food technology companies at growth and mature stages. As an entrepreneur-led business co-founded by veterans of the food industry, McWin provides more than just capital for growth; the firm leverages its scale, network and experience to deliver outstanding returns.
McWin Capital Partners is the trading name for McWin Advisers UK Limited. McWin Advisers UK Limited is an appointed representative of G10 Capital Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 648953). For more information, visit https://mcwin.fund/.
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Fintech PR
AllClear research shows city breaks to peak in 2025, as holiday plans for the new year revealed
LONDON, Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — With people returning to work for the New Year, AllClear Travel Insurance reveals that nine in ten (91%) British people have started the new year with firm resolutions to book up overseas holidays for 2025.
AllClear asked a nationally representative sample of 2,000 Brits about their holiday plans for 2025. Six in ten of those planning to go abroad in 2025 (60%) say they are planning a relaxing beach holiday, the wet cold weather of January perhaps making them yearn for long days of sunshine and clear blue sea.
City breaks are set to enjoy a significant peak in 2025. Whilst the Covid era saw the popularity of city breaks plummet to 13%, they bounced back last spring (23%) and this year is set to see a new peak, with 48% opting for a city break as part of their holiday mix for 2025.
Relaxation and wellbeing are important for holidaymakers in 2025 – with 27% looking forward to the simple pleasures of a holiday lounging by the hotel pool. Cruises are also popular for one in five adults (22%) – peaking with people aged over 55 (29%).
Holiday hotspots for 2025
With the search for heat at the forefront of many holidaymakers’ minds, 49% of those going on holiday abroad are planning to visit hotspots in the Mediterranean. Also, 32% of people say they would like to visit the relaxing shores of the Caribbean this year. However, not everyone is flocking towards hot weather. With heatwaves and floods affecting much of the globe over the last few years, the cooler climates of Northern Europe and Scandinavia are attracting 22% of those going abroad in 2025.
Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at AllClear Travel Insurance comments: “From our new research, it is clear that many people have started 2025 with holiday plans firmly in their minds. Not only is the percentage of people planning to travel overseas this year at a new peak but it is apparent that people are planning multiple trips aboard. For many, a summer beach or resort holiday in the sun is coupled with interest in taking city breaks, having activity holidays, a romantic break or a cruise.”
Discover more about AllClear at: www.allcleartravel.co.uk
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/allclear-research-shows-city-breaks-to-peak-in-2025-as-holiday-plans-for-the-new-year-revealed-302352154.html
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