25th July 2016

Bridges holds £168m first close on fourth property fund amid strong investor demand

Property Alternatives Fund IV raised money in just three months thanks to strong demand from existing investors, particularly local authority pension funds Bridges’ previous property fund has been fully invested in just two years across 14 transactions The new fund will follow the same strategy of investing in niche sectors and emerging locations, with a […]

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4th August 2016

The Hub Pharmacy continues growth with six new sites

The Hub pharmacy, a community-focused pharmacy group founded by Bridges in 2015, has acquired six additional pharmacies in Yorkshire, as it continues its buy-and-build strategy. The acquisition of the six sites, which were previously owned by Living Care Pharmacy, means the Hub now operates 17 pharmacies across the North of England. The Hub Group will […]

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22nd August 2016

Bridges seals first deal from new property fund with Croydon regeneration development

Bridges and its partner HUB will develop lower-cost and affordable residential housing units at Taberner House in Croydon The development will contribute to the regeneration of the Croydon area, and should support over 100 jobs This is the first deal from Bridges’ Property Alternatives Fund IV, which recently held a first close on £168m, but […]

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26th August 2016

Property Week: Bridges shows how profit and ethics can partner

Bridges’ latest property fund and its inaugural investment have been featured in the latest issue of Property Week. The piece outlines the investment by Bridges Property Alternatives Fund IV – alongside joint venture partner HUB – to redevelop Taberner House, the former Croydon council office site, creating 350 low-cost homes, 150 affordable homes and 13,000 […]

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5th October 2016

Bridges invests in Vegetarian Express as consumers develop taste for more sustainable living

Vegetarian Express, founded in 1987 by David Jonas, is the leading specialist plant-based food ingredient supplier to the UK food service sector Moving to a more plant-based diet can benefit both the environment and consumer health Bridges will work in partnership with the current shareholders and a new team led by Tim Kelly, incoming Executive […]

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7th July 2016

Watch: CASA’s unique approach to homecare

The UK population of over-60s is due to increase by 20% between now and 2027, with the fastest growth among the over-85s. Staff recruitment and retention is notoriously challenging in the domiciliary care sector, which can in turn have a negative impact on the quality of care. CASA is an employee-owned social enterprise that provides […]

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6th May 2016

Bridges completes £6.6m sale of Airedale House in Leeds

Airedale House is a mixed-use retail and office building in Leeds city centre Since buying the building in 2013, Bridges has completed an environmentally-led refurbishment and boosted occupancy substantially The property has been acquired by GM Legato Property, an investment company set up by Yorkshire-based businessman Graham Goodwin The price reflects a net initial yield […]

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9th May 2016

A film about our foster care SIB in Birmingham

Thanks to our friends at Big Society Capital, Bridges has made a short film about the foster care programme our Social Impact Bond Fund is financing in Birmingham. The film explains how Core Assets is helping to move at-risk young people out of residential care and into secure foster placements, with the help of a […]

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12th May 2016

CASA provides early exit for Bridges after beating growth targets

CASA is an employee-owned social enterprise providing high-quality domiciliary health and social care Its model has given it a competitive advantage in retaining staff and securing contracts Care hours and revenues have nearly quadrupled during Bridges’ investment period Its strong growth has now enabled it to raise a second round of social investment Bridges Ventures […]

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16th May 2016

In the press: The Gym Group’s James Smith featured in the Daily Mail

The Daily Mail’s Career Mail section recently featured the story of James Smith, the 24-year-old general manager of The Gym Group’s Eastbourne branch. James is a great example of how The Gym likes to train and promote its own staff. After joining The Gym Brighton in a work experience role in 2011, he completed the […]

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16th May 2016

In the press: Bridges completes £6.6m sale of Airedale House

The Bridges Sustainable Property Fund completed the sale of Airedale House – a mixed retail and office property in Leeds city centre – to GM Legato Property for £6.625m, reflecting a net initial yield of 8%. Under Bridges’ ownership, the property went through a substantial environmentally-led refurbishment, including the installation of solar photovoltaic panels on […]

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24th May 2016

Stanford Social Innovation Review: How Impact Investors Actually Measure Impact

This Stanford Social Innovation Review article outlines some of the practices and methodologies used by Bridges and other impact investors to measure social impact alongside financial return. Based on an independent research project carried out by students at Harvard Business School, the authors argue that the ultimate objectives of impact measurement can be divided into four […]

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