Victorian Sliders targets ‘world-class’ status after £4m investment

South Wales manufacturing company Victorian Sliders is being tipped to become a ‘world-class’ business, following a new £4 million investment by BGF.

The Carmarthenshire-headquartered business is now poised for a period of accelerated growth after BGF, which invested £14 million into Victorian Sliders two years ago, provided an additional round of funding alongside HSBC to support its growth plans.

Steve Winslet, Group Managing Director at Victorian Sliders, said: “Over the last 18 months, we’ve made significant strides in quality, reliability, lead times and customer service. We are determined to maintain that progress and turn Victorian Sliders into a world-class manufacturing company. We are incredibly excited to be entering a new era with the continued support of BGF’s investment team.”

As a result of this £4 million injection of funding, the company’s founder, Scot Starkey, will pursue other ventures and will no longer be involved in the business. Steve Winslet has been joined by an experienced team to help build on Victorian Sliders’ market-leading proposition.

“We want to thank Scot Starkey for his years of investment and dedication to the business, and wish him all the best for his future ventures,” Steve added. “With an experienced new leadership team in place, our focus is on implementing a customer-centric strategy that puts the installers, housebuilders, local authorities, and housing associations we work with first.”

Mark Shather joins the business as Finance Director, with decades of experience in multiple sectors, including window manufacturing. Meanwhile, Strategic Development Director Nick Evans has significant funding and operational experience in private equity-backed businesses across global markets and manufacturing. Together with Jason Powell, who’s worked alongside Steve since August 2022 leading production, they will combine to deliver the team’s customer-centric growth agenda.

The BGF investment was led by Edwin Davies and Hannah King. Legal advisers on the transaction were Geraint Tilsley, of Cardiff law firm Lewis Silkin, for BGF, and Andrew Hoad and Kate Wilson, of Hugh James (which is also based in the capital city), for Victorian Sliders.

BGF investor Edwin Davies said: “As a long-term investor, we are proud to have supported Victorian Sliders in accelerating its growth journey over the last three years. We have seen Victorian Sliders go from strength to strength, and we are confident that, with the additional £4 million of BGF investment, combined with the new leadership team’s experience and expertise, the business’s impressive growth trajectory will continue to gather further momentum.”

“Steve is right to set his sights sky-high and, under his astute leadership, we are confident that Victorian Sliders will become a world-class manufacturer for Wales to be proud of.”

Edwin also joined the Victorian Sliders board after BGF’s initial £14 million investment in August 2021.

In the coming months, Victorian Sliders will seek to drive product development, key strategic partnerships, and expand into new markets. The imminent appointment of a new Sales & Marketing Director, to spearhead this customer-centric strategy, will complete the new team.