Hawk Group is the UK’s largest plant, privately owned and operated plant hire and earthworks company. Working with Frazer Hall, Hawk Group received £8m growth capital investment from Business Growth Fund in December 2015.
Hawk Group
Hawk Group is the UK’s largest plant, privately owned and operated plant hire and earthworks company. Working with Frazer Hall, Hawk Group received £8m growth capital investment from Business Growth Fund in December 2015.
The Business Growth Fund is a £2.5 billion fund supported by the UK’s five biggest banks, it backs small and medium sized businesses throughout the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of Hawk Group is Mike Hawkins, it was he who approached Frazer Hall wanting to realise a part of his 100% shareholding in Hawk Group and to raise additional capital to fund further growth of the business. Frazer Hall discussed the opportunity with a number of potential partners and concluded that British Growth Fund (BGF) was the ideal investor and partner.
Mike commented
“Throughout the whole process I have been delighted by the support and advice received from Frazer Hall, and Stephen Frazer in particular.”
Jon Earl, an Investor at BGF who joins the board of the Hawk Group as a Non-Executive Director said:
“BGF exists to help established UK businesses and entrepreneurs reach their full potential by removing or reducing barriers to growth. As a minority, non-controlling partner, we focus on finding strong management teams and business owners that want to accelerate growth. “Mike and his team are an example of the first-class entrepreneurial talent that exists in Britain. They have created a niche in their market, a strong reputation and in-depth understanding of their industry and the needs of their customers. We are delighted to be supporting them.” Funding was provided by the Business Growth Fund (Jon Earl and Aaron Baker); the lawyers acting for the Company were Aaron and Partners (Simon Edwards, Hugh Strickland, Amanda Wickstead) and accounting/tax advice was provided by DRE (Francis Nock).
Hawk Group Background
Founded in 1974 and located in the West Midlands, Hawk Group has been involved in major UK infrastructure projects including the building of the Olympic Park, Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Crossrail. Today, the business employs nearly 500 people, generates revenues close to £70m and owns and operates a modern construction fleet of more than 2,000 items including excavators, dump trucks, telehandlers and bulldozers. Hawk specialises in providing a fully serviced, maintained and managed fleet either on an operated or self-drive basis to some of the biggest projects and contractors in the UK.
The business has invested heavily in machinery and equipment in recent years to support strong growth, and has built a reputation for operating a modern and well maintained fleet, as well as providing additional services such as bulk earthmoving, site remediation, agri-tractor hire to the agricultural and construction markets, materials testing, heavy haulage, construction plant training, and the rental of site accommodation units.
The company is led by Mike Hawkins, Group CEO and last year won “Best Business of the Year” and “Best International Business of the Year” at the Shropshire Business Awards.
The Future for Hawk Group
With the addition of BGF’s funding, Hawk Group is continuing to develop its fleet and respond to the ever increasing demand for plant hire and construction services, which is expected to be fuelled by investment in major UK infrastructure projects and an increase in house-building across the country. Hawk is also extending its services into sectors such as quarrying.
Mike Hawkins commented: “By focusing on building and maintaining a modern fleet and offering our customers’ additional value through our fully managed fleet services, we have created a solid customer base and opportunities to scale-up even further.”
Frazer Hall wish Mike and the entire group all the very best for their future growth and success.
For further information concerning the raising of investment funds or realising shareholdings, please get in touch with Frazer Hall for a confidential discussion. Complete a short enquiry or call back form on our Contact page.