Arbuthnot Latham evolves brand to reflect transformation of the bank

By Bridging Loan Directory 26th August 2020

Arbuthnot Latham & Co., is today announcing the launch of its brand evolution.

Since 2016, Arbuthnot Latham has transformed from a private bank into a full-service proposition which combines private and commercial banking, wealth planning, investment management and specialist finance businesses.

As a result of these changes, the bank is now five times bigger than it was five years ago.

The bank’s iconic peacock remains a central feature, but the logo and visual identity are being refreshed to better reflect Arbuthnot Latham as it is today.

The bank is also relaunching its client-facing website.

Arbuthnot Latham has been associated with banking since 1833, and the principles which have seen it thrive – being relationship-led, an entrepreneurial spirit, long-term thinking and collaboration – continue to govern the bank’s approach.

As part of the brand evolution, the bank is also adopting a central message to reflect its approach: “always there for you”.

Arbuthnot Latham launched its commercial bank in 2016 with the ambition of establishing it as the pre-eminent relationship-led bank for SMEs.

Its success is testament to the appeal of the relationship-led approach that Arbuthnot Latham has always championed.

The Arbuthnot Latham expansion

The launch of Arbuthnot Commercial was followed by the acquisition of Renaissance Asset Finance in 2017 and in 2018, the launch of Arbuthnot Commercial Asset Based Lending, which provides finance secured on invoices and business assets.

Arbuthnot Specialist Finance, which provides short term secured lending solutions to professional and entrepreneurial property investors, began lending in 2019.

The group has also expanded its geographic footprint in recent years. Having opened an office in Exeter in 1995, the bank added Manchester in 2017 and Bristol in 2018, to complement its London headquarters and international hub in Dubai.

In addition to this expansion and diversification, Arbuthnot Latham still has at its heart a private banking and wealth management proposition which continues to grow well, providing a premium service to high net worth Individuals.

Meeting the increasingly complex needs of clients requires the right technology and Arbuthnot Latham has made an unprecedented level of investment in technology to allow it to better meet client need.

This investment and expansion of Arbuthnot Latham’s proposition has delivered significant growth, now holding £2.2 billion of deposits, £1.6 billion of loan balances and has £1.1 billion of assets under management.

The evolution of the brand, announced today, is an opportunity to mark this transformation whilst equipping the bank with a refreshed visual identity to support its continued growth and development.

Andrew Salmon, Chief Executive Officer of Arbuthnot Latham & Co., said:

“Arbuthnot’s longevity and the consistency with which it has applied its principles since its founding over two centuries ago are core to its appeal to clients, both private and commercial.

But we are also defined by our entrepreneurialism, and this is something we share with our clients and which they value too.

If a bank is to remain successful and relevant in an ever-changing competitive landscape, it cannot stand still.

Today’s Arbuthnot Latham is capable of serving a wider variety of clients in a multiplicity of new ways, all supported by the right technology.

The evolution of the brand acknowledges this progress but without departing from the values and the heritage for which we are known.”

Virginie Dafforn-Gorgemans, Head of Marketing at Arbuthnot Latham & Co., said:

“Evolving a brand without departing from the core elements which have made it successful is not always straightforward.

We believe we have created a concept that will resonate with all of those who engage with Arbuthnot Latham.

We have had brilliant support from our agency Whitespace in building an incredible website with a range of new functionality. We also worked with Wellcom who helped create our new visual concept.”

Our clients value us for our relationship-led approach and we’ve enshrined that approach in our positioning: ‘always there for you’.

Our visual identity embodies and helps us communicate what we’re known for: our entrepreneurial spirit, a long-term focus and our personal approach; helping clients to achieve their goals – “for business, for family, for life”.

Much of the re-brand work has been done in-house by our talented creative team. This enabled us to react with agility to business feedback, ensuring we truly reflect how we see ourselves.

You will see our distinctive peacock motif wherever you find the Arbuthnot Latham brand – it could be on the sail which powers a boat, or a child’s tent that provides protection –because it conveys the many advantages Arbuthnot Latham delivers to its clients.”