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p>Some of you will doubtless have seen the exciting (for us anyway) news that the Omni Capital brand is expanding. Announced to the world earlier this week, our parent business – Chris Candy-backed CPC Group – has acquired an existing retail finance company and platform and has ambitious plans to turn it into a real force in the provision of in-store and point-of-sale credit facilities.
The new group business – now trading as Omni Capital Retail Finance (OCRF) – will operate entirely separately from the Omni Capital bridging business you know and hopefully love. It will have its own management, a separate team of employees and distinct operating systems. In the fullness of time, it makes sense to base both Omni-brand businesses in the same building; but for now we will operate out of different addresses, albeit in the same street in downtown Watford.
It means that the Omni Capital bridging proposition is entirely preserved as before the acquisition: I will continue to lead the sales effort – ably supported by Matt, Anthony, Nicky and the award-nominated Jim Nash – while Ed McAra and his superb team will continue to provide our brokers with what we like to think of as the best underwriting service in short term lending.
What the two companies will share in common is a CEO. That person is Colin Sanders. My close colleague, Bob Sturges, will provide group PR & marketing oversight to both businesses that will also enjoy significant infrastructure support from the team at our HQ in London’s Knightsbridge – finance, HR, IT and that sort of important stuff.
Another feature we have in common is the desire to be best-in-class. While we operate in entirely different sectors of financial services, we’re both service-driven lenders and understand what it means to deliver funds to customers quickly and with as little fuss as circumstances allow. The fact that one works with brokers and the other with retailers is irrelevant; what matters is ensuring we both continue to help fill the gaping liquidity hole left by the retreat of the banks.
While not obviously of immediate import to bridging brokers the arrival of OCRF is, I believe, significant signally as it does CPC Group’s willingness to invest deeply in expanding its financial services capabilities. The investment is not at the expense of Omni Capital ‘Property Finance’ but in addition to a continuing commitment to brokers and short-term lending. That commitment will become apparent in due course, but I cannot say more on that just now.
What I can say is that it’s very much business as usual at 54 Clarendon Road, Watford – the home of Omni Capital bridging – from where we will continue to deliver the goods on time, at a fair price and in a way that exceeds customer expectations.
Some of you will doubtless have seen the exciting (for us anyway) news that the Omni Capital brand is expanding. Announced to the world earlier this week, our parent business – Chris Candy-backed....
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