Quercus International is pleased to announce that it has advised FourLeaf Capital and management, as lead advisor, on their investment in the EverGrowth Group (“EverGrowth” or “Group”). EverGrowth is a newly established, founder-led buy-and-build platform assembling a nationwide provider of specialist B2B essential services across the facilities management sector.

Led by Dane Houlahan and Tully Cornick, the Quercus International team worked alongside FourLeaf Capital and EverGrowth’s management and founders. The investment, which sits alongside a senior debt facility from OakNorth, is intended to fund EverGrowth's significant ongoing acquisition programme and the development of its Group operating platform.

EverGrowth (www.ever-growth.com) is building out four divisions: Hard FM, Soft FM, Environmental and Critical Services, with the aim of becoming a national total facilities management provider. The Group began with the self-funded acquisition of Excell Cleaning Services, a commercial contract cleaning business earlier this year. More recently, it completed two further acquisitions of Medway Heating, a specialist in commercial and industrial oil and gas firing systems, and Haulaway, a full range provider of waste management and transport services. EverGrowth has a strong pipeline of further acquisition targets in active discussion.

The UK facilities management market continues to show attractive buy-and-build dynamics: a highly fragmented base of owner-managed businesses, recurring and contracted revenues and growing customer demand for integrated single-provider solutions across the built environment. EverGrowth's model preserves the identity, people and customer relationships of each acquired business while providing group-level support in finance, people, technology, procurement, safety and compliance.

Robyn Smith, Managing Partner at FourLeaf Capital, said: “EverGrowth sits squarely in the sweet spot we were set up to back - a highly fragmented market of owner-managed businesses, resilient contracted revenues and management with the operational experience to build something genuinely national. We are grateful to Dane, Tully and the Quercus International team for their advice and execution across a complex, multi-track transaction."

Dane Houlahan, Partner at Quercus International, said: "FourLeaf Capital and the EverGrowth founders have put together a genuinely compelling market alternative, backed by experienced management and a clear thesis for consolidation in the UK facility management and essential services market. We are delighted to have supported FourLeaf Capital in its platform acquisition and look forward to continuing to work with the Group as it continues to scale with a different solution for founder-led businesses looking for an exit."

Tully Cornick, Associate Partner at Quercus International, added: "This was a complex transaction executed to a tight timetable, with multiple acquisitions progressing in parallel alongside the equity and debt processes. It is a great example of what can be achieved when operators, investors and advisers are closely aligned."