Boston Healthcare

Growth Fund - Loans & Equity Case Study

Published: 01 Aug 2015
Left to right: Steve Stocks, Executive Chairman of Boston Healthcare, Ian Brown, Finance Yorkshire Portfolio Manager, and Colin Darroch, Managing Director of Boston Healthcare

The Company

Based in Wakefield, Boston Healthcare acquired the Uvistat and Dalivit brands four years ago, supported by a £1.25 million Equity Linked Investment from Finance Yorkshire.

Managing Director Colin Darroch and Executive Chairman Steve Stocks have together more than 60 years industry experience.

The Challenge

Boston Healthcare has strengthened the Uvistat and Dalivit brands’ position in the UK OTC market which is worth £2.5 billion. It is now aiming for a larger slice of the OTC market with the launch of new products backed by a major television advertising campaign.

Managing Director Colin Darroch said: “We spent some time establishing the brands back in the marketplace and now we are concentrating on new product development. It is easier to hang new products on existing brands because of the brand association with consumers.”

Finance Yorkshire involvement

Finance Yorkshire has provided a further £500,000 Equity Linked Investment to support Boston Healthcare’s growth ambitions. The latest investment has enabled the business to add a children’s SPF50 Lipscreen and an Evening Aftersun with SPF20 to its Uvistat range. It has also introduced Dalivit D3 to combat vitamin D3 deficiency in children.

The Investment Rationale

Ian Brown, Finance Yorkshire Portfolio Manager, said: “From the time of acquisition of the brands, Boston Healthcare has surely and steadily moved from rebuilding awareness and trust of the brands among consumers to a strong position in the marketplace.

“The business is now well placed to develop and add more new products this year which include a probiotic for babies as part of the Dalivit franchise.”

Future Expectations

Executive Chairman Steve Stocks said: “Over the coming two to three years we intend to gradually ramp up the promotional activity to drive sales of the portfolio and we will continue to innovate with new line extensions in areas of unmet need.”

Note: this case study is from Finance Yorkshire’s previous fund. Read more about Finance Yorkshire

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