BGF working on deals pipeline after solid year – Daily Business

BGF’s Scottish office has a pipeline of deals to build on its pledge of investing £200m in Scottish businesses over the next five years.

The funding support is part of a £3 billion UK-wide commitment to support high-potential companies over the next five years.

The investment firm, formerly the Business Growth Fund, said 2025 had seen a number of strong exits and topping up of existing portfolio companies.

Firms supported included housebuilder Cruden, pet food firm Bella & Duke, which expanded into the Netherlands and Belgium, and the accessories company Strathberry whose clients include Princess of Wales, Zara Tindall and the actresses Jennifer Lopez and Katie Holmes. It is now operating in 100 countries with 80% of sales outside the UK.

BGF joined the Pathways Forward initiative- launched by Ana Stewart, the Scottish government’s chief entrepreneur – to champion female entrepreneurship.

Richard Pugh, investor at BGF, said: “The team has continued to deliver positive results against a difficult operating background for private equity this year.

“We’ve continued to support our portfolio of Scottish businesses, working with ambitious management teams who find new opportunities to grow their businesses.

“Our strategic investment of £15m in Cruden comes at a time of urgent need for more homes in the Central Belt, supporting the company’s healthy development pipeline and its ongoing management transition.

“The three investments we exited spanned three to eight-year hold periods, showing the benefit of our ability to invest for the long-term,” he added.

“There’s a lot to be excited about as we move forward into 2026 and we will continue to apply our patient capital approach as we identify, back and advise exceptional Scottish businesses to reach their growth potential.”