OakNorth Bank completes seven-figure debt finance deal with Dow Schofield Watts

By Bridging Loan Directory 12th February 2020

OakNorth Bank – the UK bank powered by OakNorth – has provided Dow Schofield Watts with a seven-figure debt finance facility to make a strategic investment in Camlee Group, an owner-managed corporate finance boutique with offices in Manchester and Borehamwood.

Established in 2002, Dow Schofield Watts provides services including corporate finance, transaction services, business recovery, management and strategy, VAT and tax consultancy, forensic services and wealth management from a team of over 70 professionals based in the North West, Leeds, London and Aberdeen. It also operates its own international corporate finance network covering 20 countries, a dedicated tech team and an angel network.

Camlee, which is a leading provider of business sales advice to SMEs, employs 20 staff in offices in Sale, near Manchester and Borehamwood, Herts. It was founded in 2012 by Cameron Varley and Lee Wojtkiw, who will both remain with the business.

The investment will enable Camlee to continue servicing the SME market under its existing brand, while co-operating closely with Dow Schofield Watts, which focuses on mid-market deals and is one of the UK’s most active M&A advisers. The move will give Camlee’s clients access to the wider range of services at Dow Schofield Watts and allow the two businesses to work in partnership to expand their presence nationally.

James Dow, founding partner of Dow Schofield Watts, said:

“Camlee Group is highly respected amongst its peers and fits well with our own ethos of providing a professional service. We are delighted to find a partner who could bring a different approach but one that is consistent with our values. The partnership will enhance Camlee’s capabilities to support its clients and speed up our own national roll-out. We’re grateful to the team at OakNorth who not only approached the deal with a commercial and collaborative mindset, but also ensured the process was completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Daniel Martin and Stewart Haworth, Debt Finance Directors based in OakNorth Bank’s Manchester office, said:

“This deal represents a fantastic opportunity to support a highly reputable advisory firm with its future growth strategy. Between them, Dow Schofield Watts’ founders have almost a century’s worth of advisory experience and have built a business with a sound reputation and diversified offering. We’re delighted to support them with this strategic investment and look forward to working with them on further deals in the future.”