One of the best ways to judge us, as a company, is to look into our past client projects. Please find below, a selection of past and current client case studies as detailed examples of the success we have delivered to our clients across our fields of expertise in business consultancy, raising finance, providing executives and accessing private funding.
Please click on a heading for more information about the various projects undertook within each of the sectors displayed below.
Sector: Auctions
Ownership: Private
Service Type: Part-time Finance Director
Summary: The business required executive financial expertise for growth strategy including acquisitions and financial planning
Complexities: The business needed to transform into an online business due to Covid-19 pandemic
Value-added: Double-digit growth achieved organically and through a successful acquisition. CBILS funding and transition to 100% online model
Sector: BPO
Ownership: Private
Service Type: Business development consultancy support
Summary: Durban based company looking to provide BPO services to UK companies
Complexities: Business launched during pandemic which added another layer of complexity to service provided. Durban as BPO destination is not well known to the UK business community but this barrier has been overcome through a variety of methods
Value Added: The reputation of Wheeler Johnson in various UK business sectors has led to an accelerated uptake in new business for the client
Sector: Graphics, Signage and Window film
Ownership: Private
Service Type: Part-time Finance Director
Summary: The company needed improved internal reporting to help improve business performance
Complexities: The company was impacted by Covid-19
Value Added: Despite the pandemic, the company has still managed to increase margins through better knowledge and is now increasing the online offering to create a sustainable model
Sector: Insurance
Ownership: Privately owned
Service Type: Trade sale
Summary: Preparing deck for a potential sale
Complexities: FCA regulated business
Value Added: Sourced external investment offer
Sector: Insurance
Ownership: Privately owned
Service Type: Business development and exit strategy
Summary: Introduction of new product lines to increase revenue and increase the value of the business for a potential sale
Complexities: FCA regulated business
Value Added: Extensive knowledge of insurance regulated entities and barriers to product development
Please take a look at our Legal & Compliance website:
Sector: Legal products and technology
Ownership: FTSE
Service Type: Consultancy
Summary: The company was looking to develop a new insurance product to satisfy concerns raised by mortgage lenders in connection with flooding
Complexities: FCA regulated product that required buy-in from mortgage lenders and government
Value Added: Extensive knowledge of insurance regulated entities and mortgage lenders and barriers to product development
Sector: Online Estate agency
Ownership: Privately owned
Service Type: Investment and non-executive director support and interim finance director
Funder: £40m in private investment
Summary: Business required investment and executive support pre-launch and through the initial growth
Complexities: The business needed to transform from pre-revenue, pre-funding through launch and have the tools to manage high growth in a highly competitive market
Value Added: £40m raised in private investment including crowdfunding
Sector: Property
Ownership: Private
Service Type: Business required external investment and executive support
Funder: Private
Summary: Business required private investment and executive support as part of its expansion plans and accelerated growth
Complexities: The group operated through a number of inter-connected subsidiaries which made it difficult for potential investors to understand the opportunity
Value Added: Restructured and simplified corporate structure
Sector: Property
Ownership: Privately owned
Service Type: Investment and Part-Time Executive Management and Finance Director
Funder: Private
Summary: Business required investment and Executive support for growth strategy built around designing and developing IT process solution.
Complexities: The business needed to transform from a new start-up and have the tools to manage high growth and greater market penetration
Value-added: Experienced executives working with the business owner and investors bringing IT knowledge and developing new products and increasing market share and formulating exit strategy for shareholders
Sector: Technology
Ownership: AIM Listed Security Technology Company
Service Type: 2nd round funding
Summary: Working with nominated brokers and advisors to secure second-round funding for this technology company
Complexities: Initial funding had financed early technology development but the second round was to take the product to mass production for delivery through industry resellers.
Outcome: Funding secured
Sector: Transport
Ownership: Privately owned London Private Hire Company
Service Type: Trade Sale
Deal Value: £1.8M
Summary: Sale of business to a major competitor
Complexities: Required settlement of various funding lines and a deal execution time of 5 days
Outcome: Deal closed in 5 days
Sector: Transport
Ownership: Privately owned Business Services Company
Service Type: New business start-up
Summary: Set up a new business
Complexities: Contracting and recruitment business – required new ID facility for working capital.
Outcome: Business set up
Sector: Transport
Ownership: Privately owned Business Services Company
Service Type: Traditional Invoice Discounting facility plus Mezzanine Loan facility
Funder: HBOS
Summary: The company required working capital funding as well as further financing to fund the set-up of a purpose-built warehousing facility for expansion.
Facility value: TBC
Complexities: The current lenders had no appetite to fund the expansion so alternatives were sought. HBOS were persuaded by the strength of the business planning presented
Value-added: Arranged a 5-year revolving credit facility on favourable market terms and sufficient floating facility to fund the new-build
Sector: Transport
Ownership: Privately owned Business Services Company
Service Type: Sourcing external investment and management exit
Funder: Venture Capital firm
Summary: Executed a multiple transaction on 3 parts of the group with a trade sale; Management Buy-Out and a Controlled close down
Complexities: The Group was also subject to a legal dispute relating to a Compulsory Purchase order. Prepared the defence and managed lawyers in the process leading to the company securing significant compensation using ADR
Value-added: Execute the transaction providing both a return for the VC firm and a timely exit for the owner-management
Sector: Water/Energy
Ownership: Canadian Listed Water Technology Company
Service Type: Business restructuring
Summary: The client had acquired a second office in Singapore as part of a large transaction. Two offices were merged and relocated into a single new facility.
Complexities: Cultural issues
Outcome: Merged
Sector: Water/Energy
Ownership: Canadian Listed Water Technology Company
Service Type: ERP System design and implementation
Summary: Prep Info Memorandum, confidentially market to selected prospective purchasers, prepare data room, manage due dil process, deal structure and price negotiation
Complexities: Financial Reporting System had to be bespoke to apply to both local reporting requirements specific to individual countries but also to report to Canadian GAAP for TSX reporting
Outcome: Rolled out into UK, USA, France, Switzerland and Germany; both on time and within budget.
Sector: Water/Energy
Ownership: Canadian Listed Water Technology Company
Service Type: Write and deliver a company-specific Financial Reporting training program
Summary: As part of a global acquisition, the company had a requirement to train very quickly the Local Controllers of the acquired businesses which numbered 40 from 24 countries.
Complexities: Language barriers, knowledge gaps, time
Outcome: Training program delivered in Munich over 2 days providing 10 modules of training to 10 sector teams totalling 40 people. The company was able to report on the acquired business results within the TSX regulated period of 28 days
Sector: Water/Energy
Ownership: Privately owned Water Technology Company
Service Type: Business Sale
Summary: Prep Info Memorandum, confidentially market to selected prospective purchasers, prepare data room, manage due dil process, deal structure and price negotiation
Complexities: The company had premises from which it had operated for 200 (?) years and a part of the business was non-core.
Outcome: Structured deal to extract business and assets from the group leaving behind the property and non-core assets.
Sector: Water/Energy
Ownership: UK subsidiary of Australian Listed Water Technology Company
Service Type: Pathfinder Due Diligence
Deal Value: The prospective deal price was in the order of £1M
Summary: Executed a “Feasibility Investigation” into the prospective target company for the client.
Complexities: The investigation revealed a question-mark over product licensing and the future availability in a transaction.
Outcome: Very often, the best deal a company does is the deal it doesn’t do. Company management can become personally involved in a deal at a very early stage which can result in unnecessary time and cost being invested in deals which do not happen. After raising this issue, the owner of the product revealed that they were withdrawing the license so the company did not proceed with a transaction, thus avoiding unnecessary time and fees.
Sector: Water/Energy
Ownership: Privately owned Water Technology Company
Service Type: Business Acquisition and integration
Summary: Purchase of a business from Administration. The client company had a very short window to undertake Due Diligence, structure a deal and negotiate with Administrators. The new business then had to be integrated into the client.
Complexities: As well as working with legal advisors, we introduced Employment Advisors who were able to implement a redundancy program after the TUPE transfer
Outcome: Business acquired on a tax-efficient basis, structured to minimise cash exposure. Business fully integrated within 3 months of execution.