News

Opex Group

09 Jun 2010

Opex Group Attracts Substantial Investment for Growth

Opex Group announced today that it has secured a significant investment from the Octopus Capital for Enterprise fund which has the Government and major high street banks as investors. The investment will be applied across the whole Group to support the Group’s core business, new software development, and strategic opportunities and partnerships.

The £30m Octopus Capital for Enterprise Fund is managed by Octopus Ventures, which is one of the leading players in the UK venture capital industry.

Opex Group is one of the top service suppliers to the events industry in Northern Europe. Its impressive client portfolio includes the organisers of the biggest and most prestigious exhibitions, conferences, seminars and entertainment events in the UK and across mainland Europe. The investment is to be used within all of the companies in the Group’s portfolio which includes Stanco Exhibitions, Expo-Systems, Opex Venue Services and ExCeL Invision.

Guy Morgan, Chairman of Opex Group, says,
“Octopus will be a great partner as the firm has significant management experience as well as a wide network of contacts and advisors. Octopus understands our marketplace well and we are looking forward to working closely with them to help drive our strategy and deliver significant growth to the Group.”

Alistair Brew, Investment Director, Octopus Ventures says,
“We are delighted to be partnering with Opex, which has an excellent reputation in the market place, good growth potential and a strong management team. During the investment process, management has demonstrated a clear grasp of what makes its business distinct from its competitors and a strategic vision of how to grow market share.”

Justin Phillips Group Financial and Commercial Director for Opex Group has been responsible for brokering the deal throughout. He explains why he championed the agreement to its completion, “The timing of this investment is ideal. We are very excited about our long term partnership with Octopus and the potential it represents. We are now in a position to invest further in our business having identified numerous opportunities both within our current marketplace and beyond. This availability of funds will enable us to maximise our potential and broaden our capacity and reach.”