Hambledon secures £10m funding for growth expansion
Hampshire’s Hambledon Vineyard, a prominent producer of English sparkling wine, has secured a £10m facility from Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance (STB CF), as it enters its next growth phase.
Topping Hambledon’s agenda is the creation of a new visitor centre aimed at accommodating the rising number of guests visiting the vineyard.
Established in 1952 by major-general Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Hambledon is England’s oldest commercial vineyard landscape. In a significant development in 2023, Berry Bros. & Rudd and Symington Family Estates jointly acquired the business, ensuring its long-term future and the realisation of plans for a new visitor centre in a burgeoning UK oenotourism sector.
To enable expansion, the vineyard sought additional working capital to sustain its production levels, leading to a collaboration with the STB CF team to secure funding aligned with its strategic growth objectives.
With ambitious plans in sight, Hambledon Vineyard aims to bolster its market share both domestically and internationally.
Expressing his optimism, Joe Jeffers, finance director of Hambledon Vineyard, said: “The English Sparkling Wine category has shown consistent growth and continues to do so. This has been demonstrated by the recent acquisition of Hambledon by Berry Bros. & Rudd and Symington Family Estates. We are also delighted to partner with STB for the next phase of our journey.
“In helping to ensure our growth remained sustainable, Tony and the STB team worked closely with us to really understand our business, and what we were looking to achieve over the coming years. As the wine tourism sector continues to flourish, there will be more opportunity for growth for Hambledon and the facility we have received from STB CF will provide the required working capital to grow, further enhancing the investment into the winery and in our people.”
Tony Young, regional sales director at Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance, added: “It has been great to work with Joe and Hambledon Vineyard during what is an exciting period of growth. Following a record-breaking harvest, the team approached us for a facility that catered to their specific needs and would support their growth in the fast-growing sparkling wine market.
“We have worked closely with Joe and the team to offer Hambledon a flexible finance option that supports not only the current growth it is experiencing, but the future growth as the team focuses on targeting new markets across the globe. Having tasted the excellent product on several occasions, I look forward to seeing what is next for this exciting, historic vineyard under its new ownership.”
The next growth phase will be managed by James Osborn, the estate’s newly appointed managing director, previously of Knight Frank’s English wine consultancy team.
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56-58 Church Walk, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9AN
Registered in England No. 6646125. VAT No. 938 4452 95
