Camm & Hooper managing director Claire Lawson said her event and hospitality group could look to alternative finance to achieve its national and international growth ambitions, MCA has learnt.
The group, which soft launches its fifth site Six Storys in Soho in December, is currently backed by the Imbiba Partnership, but Lawson said she would need more funding further down the line to grow the business.
Camm & Hooper plans to open its sixth and acquire its seventh by the end of 2017. Imbiba tends to build groups to between five and seven sites by exploring an exit.
Lawson said: “I think our growth potential in London is fairly limitless. We seem to have struck lucky with the blended offering we’ve got. All our businesses are profitable and doing very nicely, which has allowed us greater scope for the kind of venues and spaces that landlords are bringing to us.
She added: “Imbiba isn’t limitless. If we want to grow the business we’ve got to get more funding further down the line. Whether that’s from Imbiba, or whether we go out into the market and look for someone with lots of cash that will allow me to take Camm & Hooper national and internationally, that’s up for debate.”
Six Storeys was acquired off-market thanks to a relationship with Dibley Property who acted on the previous venue Banking Hall.
It is split between a Lobby Bar on the ground floor, The Parlour on the first floor, The Lounge on the second floor, The Decantery spirits bar on the third, with the top two floors for private small events with views across London.
While The Tanner Warehouse in Bermondsey tends to attract clients in media and design and Banking Hall in the City, insurance, finance and law, Lawson said there was lots of crossover between sites with 54% of customers using multiple spaces.
Lawson added: “Events are going in all sort of weird and wonderful spaces. The demand for different quirky and unusual sites is never-ending. People want to go into newest space available.
“There’s a real opportunity having a price point that’s realistic and flexible. One thing we’ve uniquely managed to capture is transparent cost of event. The client knows what they’re paying and what’s included with no surprises at the end.”
