Private Equity support for online darts retailer
Leeds-based private equity house Key Capital Partners (KCP) has completed a £7m investment into online darts retailer, Darts Corner, which is headquartered in Bolton.
This is the third investment for KCP this year and comes shortly after the exits of Sparta Global and Hallam Medical.
Darts Corner was founded in 2007 by current shareholder and CEO, Wayne Taylor.
The company is an online provider of darts and darts accessories and sells all over the world from its base in Lancashire.
The deal confirmed today sees KCP acquire a significant minority stake in the business that employs 50 staff and supplies both directly to the public and to the trade.
Taylor will remain in his current role, alongside other key members of the team, Howard Miller and Steve Reed.
James Hall, managing partner at KCP, who led the investment alongside Matt Tice, will also join the Board.
Taylor said: “Over the last few years our business has transformed with significant growth and we have been looking for the right partner to work with as we progress our ambitions further.
“The team at KCP were passionate about our business from the start and shared my vision for the future. We are delighted to welcome KCP into our business and look forward to working with the team as we continue this exciting journey.”
Hall said: “We have known Wayne for a while and have been tracking the progress of Darts Corner for a couple of years.
“The business has invested heavily during that time in new products, new premises and is close to launching a new vastly improved website and stock management system.
“We are investing in the business at an exciting time with a number of significant opportunities ahead of us and are looking forward to supporting the team over the next few years.”
Legal advice was provided to KCP by Addleshaw Goddard in Manchester, with due diligence support from RSM in Manchester (financial), Fairgrove Partners (commercial) and GB3 (IT).
Management were advised by Jonathan Rourke at Rock Advisory and by Manchester and Cheshire based law firm Primas.
