Scottish business water retailer Intelligent Water secures £3.5m to more than double turnover

Lanarkshire-based Intelligent Business Water Ltd, trading as Intelligent Water, has secured a £3.5m finance facility from Beach Point Capital UK. It is one of the first investments by Beach Point's fourth fund, BPC Europe SME DAC, which is backed by the British Business Bank (Daily Business).

£8m → £18m

Source: Intelligent Water via Daily Business ↗

What we know

• The business: launched in 2021, with annual turnover of around £8m and almost 4,000 customer supply points across Scotland. Its directors include Thomas McDade and Fraser Gilroy (TheBusinessDesk).
• Plan: a five-year growth strategy forecasting turnover of about £18m.
• Use of funds: mainly extra working capital as the customer base grows, plus continued investment and "further strategic opportunities".
• Lender: Beach Point describes itself as a direct lender to SMEs in the UK and Ireland. Terms of the facility were not disclosed.

McDade called the facility "an important milestone" and said it gives "significant additional headroom and flexibility" (Water Magazine). Beach Point vice-president Seth Vaughan said it supports the company "as it continues to expand its customer base". Adam Kelly of the British Business Bank highlighted the bank's role in backing such funds.

What others are reporting

Daily Business and TheBusinessDesk both report that the money is mostly for working capital. The British Business Bank and Beach Point comments appear in Daily Business.

Background

Scotland opened its non-household water market on 1 April 2008. More than 20 licensed retailers now serve around 160,000 business and public sector customers, and WICS licenses retailers and runs the market framework (WICS). Intelligent Business Water appears on the WICS register of licences from 2022, one of 22 retailers listed.

What we don't know yet

The company has not said whether growth will come from organic customer wins or from buying customer books from other retailers, which "strategic opportunities" may cover. Its margin and its share of the Scottish market are not disclosed.

What to watch

• Any acquisitions of smaller retailers or customer portfolios.
• WICS market monitoring and its Code of Practice for retailers, which shape the cost of serving customers.