Winch & Co
Winch & Co is a boutique UK private investment house, founded in 2010, that acquires, restructures, and exits SMEs in industrial, logistics, and service sectors, alongside a corporate rescue practice serving distressed businesses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Winch & Co does
Winch & Co is a boutique UK private investment house founded in 2010 by Nathan Winch, headquartered in South Yorkshire with offices across Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, and additional regional locations, employing over 50 people across six UK sites. The firm acquires, restructures, and exits small and medium-sized enterprises, with an explicit focus on distressed or underperforming businesses in industrial, manufacturing, logistics, and service-based sectors. Its stated investment criteria are businesses with at least £1M in annual revenue, demonstrable adjusted EBITDA, experienced management in situ, and a rolling debtors book, with disclosed acquisition sizes ranging from £30,000 to £6 million.
The company operates two core service lines. The investment and acquisition practice acquires entire businesses or assets, integrates them into a portfolio, and exits via trade sales or other realization events, with value generated through portfolio appreciation rather than disclosed management fees. The corporate rescue and turnaround practice provides debt restructuring, creditor negotiation, HMRC negotiation, and turnaround support to distressed companies, including through liquidations, administrations, receiverships, and CVAs, charging upfront fees, success fees, or equity depending on engagement complexity. Notable portfolio companies have included Dedicated Transport Solutions (DTS, transport and warehousing, exited June 2026 to Hope Investment Holdings), Browns Timber Buildings (timber modular construction, exited November 2025 to Fowlds Cooke Group), Eclipse Distribution Solutions (warehousing and distribution), Giga Power UK (electric vehicle charging network with over 50 UK sites, solar and wind generation), and Blue Bricks Magazine (publication, exited March 2022). As of 2026, the firm reports 16 acquisitions and 11 exits, and has successfully negotiated over £10 million of business debts through its rescue team.
Winch & Co's business model is sales-led and relationship-driven, reaching business owners through direct website enquiries, referrals, networking, and a proprietary deal-flow channel generated by its corporate rescue practice. The firm does not develop proprietary technology products and has no public APIs, AI/ML capabilities, or software offerings. Marketing is conducted primarily through website content, press releases, earned media (including a 2022 Private Equity CEO of the Year award for Nathan Winch and a 2023 Insider Media 42 Under 42 listing), and public speaking by the CEO. Winch & Co has been carbon neutral certified since December 2021 via ClimatePartner and supports afforestation and plastic-recovery projects as part of its ESG positioning.
Winch & Co firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Winch & Co
- Legal name
- Winch & Co Group of companies
- Website
- https://www.winchandco.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Winch & Co is a boutique UK private investment house, founded in 2010, that acquires, restructures, and exits SMEs in industrial, logistics, and service sectors, alongside a corporate rescue practice serving distressed businesses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Winch & Co industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity Investment Services
- NAICS
- Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industry-Specialist Buyout (Sector-Focused) (FSANABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mid-Market Buyout (FSANABAB)
Keywords
Where Winch & Co is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Winch & Co business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Acquisition and Exit Returns: Winch & Co acquires entire businesses or assets, restructures them, integrates for synergies, and exits via trade sales or other realisation events. Returns are generated through the appreciation in value of portfolio companies at exit.
- Corporate Rescue Fees: The firm charges fees for corporate rescue and debt restructuring services, which may include upfront fees, flexible success fees, or equity in the business depending on complexity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Investment criteria: businesses with £1M+ annual revenue, demonstrable adjusted EBITDA, experienced management, and a rolling debtors book. |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Winch & Co product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Winch & Co is a private investment house that acquires, restructures, grows, and exits SME businesses (typically £1M+ turnover) in industrial, manufacturing, logistics and service sectors. It also provides Corporate Rescue and Turnaround Services — debt restructuring, creditor and HMRC negotiation, and insolvency proceedings support — for distressed companies that often become acquisition targets as well.
Product overview
Winch & Co is a boutique private investment house (not a product/software company) that acquires, builds, and transforms SME businesses. The company operates a platform of investment services comprising acquisition and investment management and corporate rescue and turnaround consulting. The portfolio includes Giga Power UK (EV charging network and renewable energy), Dedicated Transport Solutions (logistics and warehousing, exited 2026), and formerly Browns Timber Buildings (modular timber construction, exited 2025).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Giga Power UK: Renewable energy producer specialising in electric vehicle charging networks, solar plants and wind farms. Operates over 50 EV charging sites across the UK.
- Dedicated Transport Solutions (DTS)
- Browns Timber Buildings
Products and services
- Investment and Acquisition Services Core service for business owners seeking an exit: Winch & Co identifies suitable target companies, acquires the entire business or its assets, then improves and restructures operations to add strategic value before exiting via trade sale or other realisation event. Targeted at SMEs in industrial, manufacturing, FMCG and service sectors with £1M+ annual revenue, demonstrable adjusted EBITDA, experienced in-situ management and a rolling debtors book.
- Corporate Rescue and Turnaround Services Standalone service for financially distressed UK businesses under creditor or HMRC pressure. Covers debt restructuring, trade and finance creditor negotiation, HMRC negotiation, and turnaround outcomes using formal insolvency tools including administrations, receiverships, liquidations, CVAs, and personal-guarantee negotiation. Engaged on a fee basis (upfront, success-based, or equity participation). Often converts distressed engagements into acquisition targets.
- Giga Power UK EV Charging Network Public electric vehicle charging point network operated by Winch & Co portfolio company Giga Power UK, alongside solar plants and wind farms. Operates over 50 sites across the UK, delivering 100% renewable electricity for EV charging and feeding sustainable power into the National Grid. Customers are EV drivers and the National Grid (for renewable feed-in).
- Dedicated Transport Solutions (DTS) Warehousing & Distribution Transport and logistics provider offering warehousing, transport, distribution and haulage services across the UK and Europe. Part of the Winch & Co portfolio from April 2022 until the June 2026 sale to Hope Investment Holdings; serves customers in the UK and European logistics market.
- Browns Timber Buildings Bespoke modular timber construction firm based in Bolton, Greater Manchester, specialising in garden rooms, offices, extensions, holiday lodges and annexes for domestic and commercial customers. Held in the Winch & Co portfolio from October 2021 to November 2025.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 16 acquisitions completed and 11 exits as of 2026
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Winch & Co
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Winch & Co technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Winch & Co partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered exit transaction, supporting and core.
- Hope Investment Holdingsexit transactionHope Investment Holdings, led by Chris Hope, acquired Dedicated Transport Solutions (DTS) from Winch & Co in June 2026 in a multi-million pound transaction. Hope is acquiring DTS as part of its strategy to build a leading UK logistics platform.
- Chris Hopeexit transactionChris Hope, Managing Director of Hope Investment Holdings, led the acquisition of DTS from Winch & Co. He is described as an industry entrepreneur building a leading UK logistics platform.
- VAMOSsupportingVAMOS, a leading commercial broker based in Essex, facilitated the sale of DTS to Hope Investment Holdings in June 2026.
- Fowlds Cooke Groupexit transactionFowlds Cooke Group, run by Sam Cooke, acquired a majority controlling stake in Browns Timber Buildings from Winch & Co in November 2025. Sam Cooke had previously acquired Blue Bricks Magazine from Winch & Co in March 2022.
- Knight FranksupportingKnight Frank managed the property transaction for DTS's acquisition of the 80,000 sq ft distribution centre in Ashington, Northumberland in September 2024.
- Templeman Retail & Vendingexit transactionTempleman Retail & Vending acquired Winch & Co's 250,000 sq ft industrial estate in Cramlington from DTS in June 2024, as part of Winch & Co's plan to consolidate and become a tenant rather than property owner.
- Ison Harrison SolicitorscoreIson Harrison Solicitors, based in Leeds, has served as Winch & Co's legal advisor across multiple transactions, including the £5M acquisition of DTS (2022), the Cramlington site sale (2024), the Patrick Logistics deal (2024), the DTS sale to Hope Investment Holdings (2026), and the Browns Timber Buildings exit (2025).
- ClimatePartnersupportingClimatePartner certified Winch & Co as carbon neutral. Winch & Co holds Climate Partner ID: 17974-2112-1001 and uses ClimatePartner's tracking system for carbon offset monitoring.
- Plastic BanksupportingWinch & Co supports the Plastic Bank's Clean Oceans initiative as part of its carbon neutrality programme. Plastic Bank operates in Haiti, Indonesia, Brazil, and the Philippines, collecting plastic waste that is recycled into Social Plastic for use in packaging and products.
- Afforestation Project — Rio Kama, NicaraguasupportingWinch & Co supports afforestation in Rio Kama, Nicaragua, planting bamboo to restore degraded land and create carbon sinks. The project has planted over 1 million bamboo plants across 2,361 hectares while protecting an additional 1,000 hectares of old forest as a conservation zone.
- DJH Business Advisers LimitedsupportingTax advisory partner: Festival Way, Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 5SQ. Registration number: 03451690.
- The Accounting Room LtdsupportingAccountancy partner: Innovation Centre, Innovation Way, York, YO10 5NY. Registration number: 13741303.
- Bexley Beaumont LimitedsupportingLitigation partner: Centurion House, 129 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3WR. Registration number: 12216664. SRA number: 664870.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Winch & Co competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Connection Capital: UK private investment firm providing capital to founder-owned SMEs and management teams. Direct overlap with Winch & Co's owner-exit and management-buyout use cases.
- LDC (Lloyds Development Capital): UK mid-market PE firm backing management buyouts of UK SMEs with turnover typically £5M-£100M. Directly comparable to Winch & Co's SME buyout focus, although LDC operates at meaningfully larger cheque sizes.
- Endless LLP: UK private equity firm specialising in distressed and turnaround situations in the £10M-£100M EV range. Highly comparable to Winch & Co's corporate rescue and distressed-asset investment model.
- August Equity: UK lower-mid-market buyout specialist focused on UK SMEs with enterprise values typically under £75M. Similar deal-size and SME focus to Winch & Co.
- Maven Capital Partners: UK private equity and capital provider focused on regional SMEs across the UK. Comparable regional footprint and SME deal-size profile to Winch & Co.
- YFM Equity Partners: UK lower-mid-market PE firm investing in UK SMEs in the £2M-£10M EV range. Closely comparable on deal size and SME/regional focus, with Winch & Co operating at the smaller end of the same segment.
- Bowmark Capital: UK mid-market private equity firm focused on UK SMEs with strong management teams and buy-and-build potential. Compares to Winch & Co's SME platform-building approach.
Emerging players
- Tenzing Private Equity: UK SME-focused private equity investor backing founder- and family-owned businesses. Comparable target buyer profile (owner-exit SMEs) to Winch & Co's primary customer segment.
- Aliter Capital (formerly Alteri Investors): UK specialist investor focused on operational turnaround and value creation in consumer-facing and asset-heavy businesses. Comparable sector tilt to Winch & Co's turnaround and distressed playbook.
Regional players
- Praetura Capital: Manchester-based growth and venture capital investor focused on businesses across the North of England. Overlaps with Winch & Co's Northern UK regional footprint and SME focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Winch & Co social profiles
Digital presenceWinch & Co compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Winch & Co financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Winch & Co leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Winch & Co subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Winch & Co funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Winch & Co M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Winch & Co
What does Winch & Co do?
Winch & Co is a private investment house that acquires, restructures, grows, and exits SME businesses (typically £1M+ turnover) in industrial, manufacturing, logistics and service sectors. It also provides Corporate Rescue and Turnaround Services — debt restructuring, creditor and HMRC negotiation, and insolvency proceedings support — for distressed companies that often become acquisition targets as well.
Is Winch & Co a public or private company?
Winch & Co is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Winch & Co founded?
Winch & Co was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Winch & Co based?
Winch & Co is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Winch & Co make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Acquisition and Exit Returns are the primary driver. The others are corporate Rescue Fees.
Who are Winch & Co's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Connection Capital, LDC (Lloyds Development Capital), Endless LLP, August Equity, Maven Capital Partners, YFM Equity Partners and Bowmark Capital. Emerging players are Tenzing Private Equity and Aliter Capital (formerly Alteri Investors). Praetura Capital is listed as a regional player.
Does Winch & Co have an API?
No public API is recorded for Winch & Co.
What industry is Winch & Co in?
Winch & Co's product category is Private Equity Investment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANABAE, Industry-Specialist Buyout (Sector-Focused), with a secondary code of FSANABAB, Mid-Market Buyout. Its NAICS code is 541611 and its SIC code is 8742.