UK-based communications agency Four Communications has secured £10m ($15.6m) in funding from the government and bank-backed Business Growth Fund (BGF) in return for an undisclosed minority stake.
HSBC, one of BGF’s five stakeholders, has also provided an undisclosed amount of debt financing for Four. BGF is backed by the UK’s ‘big five’ financial services providers: Barclays, Lloyds, RBS, Standard Chartered and HSBC.
Founded in 2001, Four is an independent communications agency that offers a wide range of services including public relations, advertising and marketing, branding and design. Four also has overseas offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The agency will use the funding to support an expansion in the UK, the Middle East and Southeast Asia through additional acquisitions, having previously acquired agencies MSA Media, Consolidated PR, Kinross & Render, Colman Getty and Bgb. It has not disclosed any previous funding.
Chris Hodges, investor at BGF, will join Four’s board. He said: “BGF is looking forward to supporting the team in delivering engaging creative work for Four’s clients and taking the business smoothly to the next level of scale.”