A catapult to success

Late last year, Rosenblatt, led by Elizabeth Shaw, a partner in the corporate department, advised creative production agency, Hangar Seven, on a £1million investment in their company by Catapult Venture Managers. The investment will provide working capital to help sustain Hangar Seven’s exceptional growth as a business, including an extension of the services they offer, and an expansion of their facilities.

Hangar Seven was established by a team of highly-experienced media professionals just over two years ago, and its subsequent growth has been impressive. The company’s proposition is to specialise in the production and implementation of marketing campaigns, once the core creative has been established by the client or ad agency. This might involve advertising production for press, TV, online and outdoor, and as such, the company’s specialisms include photography, digital video and publications.

In effect, they make advertising and marketing production more cost effective, and help companies get their message to market faster. As co-founder and director, Nick Aldrich, says: "We’ve developed something different, which helps clients reduce the cost of maintaining their brand presence."" In this way, Hangar Seven supports numerous blue-chip clients, including B&Q, Adidas, DFS, Shop Direct Group and WH Smith, and works from offices and studios in London, Manchester and Portugal.

For Richard Bucknell of Catapult, Hangar Seven is a perfect example of a great investment opportunity: "It’s a young, entrepreneurial business, which has proven its ability to grow profitably, but with significant further opportunity to develop. The business has already built a strong position, and we’re now looking forward to helping them take full advantage of their new ventures, such as that into high volume fashion photography."

Rosenblatt worked closely with Hangar Seven’s management team and advised them on all aspects of the deal, which was a fairly intense three month project. The ability to cost effectively deploy all the necessary resources – tax, intellectual property and banking – as well as the corporate advice, meant that the Hangar Seven team could concentrate on servicing their clients and managing their business, while not having to worry about the avalanche of paperwork that accompanies all investment deals.

Says Nick Aldrich of Hangar Seven: "Rosenblatt’s highly commercial approach fitted well with our entrepreneurial culture and their close contact throughout the process meant we could carry on doing what we do best, while being confident that our interests were being protected. In addition, we’re hugely excited by the opportunities ahead and, having a partner like Catapult on board, we’re able to push forward with greater financial stability."

Shortly after the completion of the investment, Hangar Seven was awarded Young Business of the Year in the Manchester Evening News Business Awards. The event was hosted by Alastair Campbell, and held at Lancashire Cricket Club’s Old Trafford ground. As Mr Campbell pointed out: "Everyone is aware of the testing economic environment, and the eurozone crisis. But the quality of the finalists underlines the fact that the north west is a thriving business region."

Nick Aldrich continued: "We’re expanding in London and pleased to have been successful there. The hard work and dedication of our team is paying off. We plan to grow the business by 50 per cent this year, and with the appetite for online fashion growing, double our revenues over the next two to three years."

For more information please visit www.hangarseven.co.uk

To learn more about Rosenblatt’s corporate department, please visit www.rosenblatt-law.co.uk/corporate

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