NPIF – Maven Equity Finance, managed by Maven Capital Partners (“Maven”) and part of the Northern Powerhouse Fund (“NPIF”), has invested a six-figure funding package in Margin Guardian Ltd (“MG”), a platform that provides fashion retailers with data insight and targeting services. Funds will allow the business to invest in its platform, commercialise and develop an android version of its app, in addition to the iOS version, as well as fuel its marketing activities.

Headquartered in Liverpool, MG has built a platform that provides retailers with unique data insights – such as price, viewed products and saved products – direct from the consumer. These insights then enable fashion retailers to make more informed decisions on markdowns of stock, reducing leakage and enhancing profit margins, a by-product of blind reductions.

Data provided to MG’s partner retailers is generated through the Squished app, a multi-faceted browsing platform that enables consumers to browse, track and monitor high street fashion items on a single app. The data generated by MG enables retailers to identify trends and inform future pricing and discount pricing strategies.

In recent years the retail analytics sector has experienced a digital revolution and it is anticipated that the shift in consumer preferences and behaviours will continue throughout the 2020s. Factors driving growth of data analytics and business intelligence in the retail sector include growth of the e-commerce sector, increased retailer spend on data insights and revenue optimisation. The market was valued at c$5.29 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach c.$15 billion by 2025.

MG was co-founded in 2018 by Richard Blanchard, Stephen Goodheart and Stewart Cox, a team of commercial and technical operators with extensive experience in executive-level digital, retail e-commerce and marketing strategy. Collectively, they have previously worked for major retail organisations including Matalan, Harvey Nichols, Pets at Home and Robinsons.

Dean Cox, Senior Investment Manager at Maven Equity Finance, said: “MG was founded by a strong team of retail experts and the technology they’ve created addresses a genuine need for both retailers and consumers. MG have received encouraging traction from several high-profile retailers, and we’re pleased to support Richard, Stephen and Stewart at such a pivotal point in the company’s growth journey. We look forward to working with the team to help drive MG forward.”  

Richard Blanchard, CEO of Margin Guardian, said: “We believe retailers increasingly need advanced data insight to maintain competitiveness and profit. Our unique purchase intent data will allow them to do just that. We are excited to be partnering with Maven on our journey as they truly understand the data revolution underway.”

Sean Hutchinson at British Business Bank, said: “Providing investment for innovative, high-growth companies such as Margin Guardian, is part of what we set out to achieve when we launched the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund in 2017. This deal highlights the support provided by our fund managers and demonstrates the rich pool of potentially world beating companies in Liverpool City Region. It is good to see another Northern business seeking opportunity and driving forward new, data-led solutions.”

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.

— ends —

Principals and key advisors to the transaction:

Maven Legal: Weightmans 
Technical: Dave Roberts, PriceRoberts
Company Legal: Glenville Walker

 Further information

For media enquiries or any questions about the investment, please contact:

Maven Capital Partners

Dean Cox                         07483 068 705      [email protected]

Steven Ford                     07580 792 608      [email protected]

Sapience Communications (PR to Maven)

Richard Morgan Evans     020 3195 3240     [email protected]

Notes to Editors

About Maven Capital Partners UK LLP       www.mavencp.com

Maven Capital Partners UK LLP (Maven) is an independent private equity house focused on the provision of flexible funding for high growth businesses, and one of the most active investors in smaller companies in the UK.

Headquartered in Glasgow, and with offices throughout the UK, Maven has over 90 investment and support professionals providing a truly nationwide coverage. Maven has over £700 million funds under management and ready to invest, and manages assets for a variety of client funds, including Venture Capital Trusts, MBO Fund, UK regional fund mandates, and Maven Investor Partners, a syndicate of institutional, family office and experienced investors.

About The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund will invest in Microfinance, Business Loans and Equity Finance sub-funds which will offer financing ranging from £25,000 to £2m, specifically to help small and medium sized businesses secure the funding they need for growth and development.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund is operated by British Business Financial Services Limited, wholly owned by British Business Bank, the UK’s national economic development bank. Established in November 2014, its mission is to make finance markets for smaller businesses work more effectively, enabling those businesses to prosper, grow and build UK economic activity.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund is supported by the European Regional Development Fund, the European Investment Bank, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and British Business Finance Limited, a British Business Bank group company.

The NPIF covers the following LEP areas: Tees Valley Combined Authority, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria, Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Humber, Leeds City Region, Sheffield City Region, York, North Yorkshire and East Riding.

The project is receiving up to £140,359,192 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.

The funds in which Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund invests are open to businesses with material operations, or planning to open material operations, in, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West and Tees Valley.

The British Business Bank has published the Business Finance Guide (in partnership with the ICAEW, and a further 21 business and finance organisations). The guide, which  impartially sets out the range finance options available to businesses and provides links to support available at a regional level, is available at
www.thebusinessfinanceguide.co.uk/bbb