Scottish leisure specialist completes MBO with HSBC funding

Ice Factor Group, a Scottish adventure tourism business, is aiming to drive growth and expand the business, following a deal worth £523,000 with HSBC which has financed a management buy-out at the firm.

Bosses say the deal will enable the business to embrace predicted market growth as retailers seek innovative ways to add value to their destinations in order to attract shoppers.

Ice Factor Group, which was launched in 2001 by Jamie Smith, an entrepreneur and keen mountaineer, includes Snow Factor Braehead and award-winning adventure tourism facility Ice Factor Kinlochleven, confirmed in April 2017 it had been successful in its bid to operate a new £30 million snow-dome planned as part of a regeneration project in Middlesbrough.

The Group has grown 783 per cent since 2003, from annual revenues of £484,000 to £4.2 million.

Mr Smith said: “I passionately believe in the potential for future growth of Ice Factor Group and I’m delighted to have re-acquired 100% of the shares of Ice Factor Group. This will allow my team and me to continue to serve our customers with the best snow and ice experiences in the world.

“The business has delivered consistent growth and profitability, and allied with a stable and high performing management team, I am confident the buy-out represents the best approach to continue the successful growth of the Group

“The buy-out frees up a significant amount of time for the senior management team and resources that can quickly be reinvested back into further improving the quality of the snow sports experience for our customers across both sites.”

Susan Rowand, HSBC head of business Banking in Scotland, added: “We are committed to supporting Scottish businesses like Ice Factor Group to achieve their growth potential and make their ambitions a reality. We are proud to play our part in helping Jamie Smith with a management buy-out and look forward to seeing the business continue to grow.”