Zen Internet secures £20 million in financing from NatWest The financing will be used to accelerate business growth and challenge the “big four” telecoms providers

Zen Internet, the UK’s largest independently owned telecommunications and technology service provider, today announced it has secured a £20m financing deal from NatWest Bank.

The new revolving credit facility from NatWest, which was led by Mike Malone, Kieran O’Malley and Martyn Lylyk will allow significant investment into Zen’s network infrastructure, people and product offerings.

A Which? Recommended Broadband Provider, Zen will use the financing to accelerate growth as part of a five-year intensive strategy in a bid to challenge the “big four” telecoms providers – delivering award-winning customer service and reliability to business and residential customers across the UK.

Mike Malone, Director, Structured Finance, NatWest, commented: “We are delighted to be able to continue our support for such an exciting company. Zen has a well-established track record and an ambitious growth strategy. We are pleased that we have been able to provide the financial support needed in order to deliver on its next phase of growth and support another exciting, high growth locally-based business.”

“This is a very exciting time for everyone at Zen, including our customers and partners,” said Paul Stobart, CEO, Zen Internet. “As an organisation we will continue to focus on sustainable growth, rather than short term profit, ensuring that we do the right thing by our people, customers and partners. A portion of the funding will be used to refinance debt, whilst the balance will be reinvested into our network infrastructure, people and product offerings.

“We believe that through our exceptionally dedicated people, award-winning services and leadership, we are in a great place to do things differently and achieve our ambitious business targets over the next few years.”

As one of the first providers to sign up to Ofcom’s voluntary auto compensation scheme, Zen set itself apart from the competition, by extending the scheme to channel partners and wholesale customers. The company also launched an industry-first lifetime price guarantee – Price for Life – earlier this year. With the industry known for punishing customer loyalty with higher prices, Zen customers can rest assured that as long as they remain a customer that they will not see a price rise.

“NatWest has a proven track record of supporting Zen through previous growth periods and we look forward to continuing our great relationship during this exciting period,” added Matt Kay, Chief Financial Officer, Zen Internet. “The latest financing agreement is the result of some excellent support from our advisors KPMG and our lawyers Eversheds Sutherland.”

Nick Dodd, Head of Debt Advisory for KPMG in the UK, added: “We’re very pleased for both Zen and NatWest for having agreed a funding solution that will provide the business with the right flexibility to deliver Zen’s ambitious growth plans. It has been a pleasure to advise Zen given its exciting growth trajectory and strong commitment to its people, customers and the local community.”

Zen was provided with financing advice by KPMG Debt Advisory (Nick Dodd, Meredith Casey, Neil Brown and Eddy Lanaghan).

Eversheds Sutherlands Manchester office advised management as part of the deal, through a team led by Jason Wurzal with Addleshaw Goddard supporting NatWest.

To find out more about Zen, please visit: www.zen.co.uk.

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About Zen

Zen Internet is the largest independent telecommunications and technology service provider in the UK, providing a full range of data, voice, hosting and infrastructure services to homes and businesses across the UK. 

Zen provides its customers with the capabilities they need to communicate, collaborate and thrive in a highly-connected world, all supported by a highly robust and resilient independent network.

Zen provides a wide range of Ethernet Leased Line & MPLS services, business-grade broadband, and Cloud solutions suited to business and corporate customers. Zen is renowned for delivering excellent customer service and technical support, and this is reflected in the many awards it has achieved over the years, including; PC Pro’s Best Internet Service Provider, the UK IT Industry Award for Services Company of the Year, a UK Customer Experience Silver Award for Technology & Telecoms, and was again recently named a Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband Services.

Zen Internet employs more than 500 staff last year and is a Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For. Zen is a registered supplier of the government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which offers businesses the opportunity to take advantage of high-performance internet connectivity and receive a grant worth up to £2,500. The scheme is available on selected Ethernet services and subject to eligibility. Contact the team on 01706 902 583 to request your voucher and see if your business can apply.