6th January 2016

The Hub pharmacy acquires 11th site, in Hyde

The Hub pharmacy, a community pharmacy group backed by the Bridges Sustainable Growth Fund III, has continued its buy-and-build strategy by acquiring its 11th site: the Market Street, Hyde branch of HBS Pharmacy. The branch is an excellent fit within the Hub group as it already offers a number of community-focused health services. Under its […]

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8th March 2016

Bridges-backed Alina Homecare acquires The Care Division

Alina is a provider of homecare services with a focus on best practice and innovation The Care Division is a specialist provider of supported living services for people with learning and other disabilities in the South of England This is the fourth acquisition for Alina, which was founded in 2014 with backing from Bridges Ventures […]

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18th April 2016

Bridges exits apprenticeship provider Babington Group after strong growth

Babington is now one of the UK’s leading apprenticeship and traineeship providers Revenues have increased eight-fold under Bridges’ ownership During the period it has provided training to more than 32,000 learners and helped over 3,700 formerly unemployed people to find jobs Sale price of £22m represents an IRR of 33% for Bridges Bridges Ventures (“Bridges”) […]

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26th April 2016

In the press: Bridges exits Babington Group for 33% return

Bridges recently sold the Babington Group, a leading UK provider of apprenticeships and traineeships, to RJD Partners for £22m, representing an internal rate of return for Bridges of 33%. We backed the business in 2009, as part of our Education and Skills impact theme. Since then, Babington has increased revenues eight-fold, while supporting over 32,000 […]

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30th November 2015

Bridges makes European debut with investment in Viva Gym in Spain

Viva is a chain of low-cost gyms with 16 sites across 11 Spanish cities It improves health outcomes by broadening access to gym facilities This is Bridges’ first investment in mainland Europe, and the eighth from Bridges’ Sustainable Growth Fund III It builds on the expertise the firm developed in this sector as co-founder of […]

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7th December 2015

Wholebake makes the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100

Wholebake, a manufacturer of great-tasting gluten-free energy bars under its brand 9BAR, has been included in this year’s Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100, a highly-regarded ranking of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies by sales. Wholebake, which is backed by Bridges Sustainable Growth Fund III, has enjoyed annual revenue growth of 45% over the last […]

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7th December 2015

Bridges-backed Alina Homecare acquires Extra Mile Care

Alina Homecare is an innovative homecare business which delivers high-quality care across the South of England It is backed by Bridges Ventures, the specialist sustainable and impact investor Extra Mile Care, based in North London, is its third acquisition Alina Homecare (“Alina”), the innovative homecare business, has completed its third deal with the acquisition of […]

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9th November 2015

The Gym completes £250m London listing – further proof that commercial growth and social impact can go hand-in-hand

Bridges Ventures co-founded The Gym alongside John Treharne in 2007 after incubating the concept in-house, in line with its ‘health and well-being’ impact focus The Gym pioneered the low-cost gym model in the UK and now has more than 60 sites About a third of its 360,000 members were not previously members of a gym […]

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11th November 2015

Press Coverage: The Gym Group IPO

The Gym Group, a low-cost gym business that Bridges built alongside entrepreneur John Treharne, was listed successfully on the London Stock Exchange this month, valued at £250m. Founded in 2008, Bridges has worked intensively to roll-out a group that now operates 66 gyms in the UK, with revenues of £45m last year. The Gym has […]

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12th November 2015

Babington Group wins big at EducationInvestor Awards

We are delighted to report that Babington Group (a Bridges Sustainable Growth Fund II portfolio company) won the ‘Further or Vocational Education Provider of the Year’ category at the 2015 EducationInvestor Awards last night. Babington delivers high-quality training and apprenticeships that help people achieve their career goals across a number of sectors, including Accountancy, Business […]

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9th June 2015

In the Press: Bridges establishes the Hub pharmacy

Bridges recently announced the creation of ‘the Hub pharmacy’, a new community pharmacy platform which will broaden access to much-needed pharmacy and healthcare services. The pharmacies, which will have a particular focus on preventative healthcare services, will help to free up NHS primary care resources, enhance patient adherence to drug regimens (reducing costly wastage), and […]

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2nd June 2015

Bridges establishes “the Hub pharmacy”, a new community pharmacy group

The group will initially consist of nine pharmacies in the North-West of England It will focus on broadening access to healthcare services, especially in under-served areas This is the seventh investment from Bridges’ third sustainable growth fund The Bridges Sustainable Growth Fund III, managed by specialist sustainable and impact investor Bridges Ventures (“Bridges”), announces the […]

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