• Foresight announces the second close of the South West Fund with a £50 million investment from Avon Pension Fund
• The Fund was initially launched with a cornerstone investment from Devon Pension Fund
• The Fund will support the growth of small and medium sized companies (“SMEs”) across the South West of England

Bath, March 2025: Foresight Group (“Foresight”), a leading FTSE 250 listed private equity and infrastructure investment manager, has announced the second close of an evergreen fund dedicated to investing into growing companies throughout South West England (the “Fund”).

The Fund was initially launched with a cornerstone investment from Devon Pension Fund and has secured a further £50 million investment from Avon Pension Fund to achieve a second close at £100m.

The Fund will target smaller equity investments in established, promising companies with growth potential across South West England, including Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

The Fund will help growing companies across the region to achieve their business ambitions, support the local economy, and deliver positive social outcomes by creating high-quality, local jobs. It will invest into a broad range of sectors, across the full range of transaction types including growth capital, buy-outs and equity release.

The Fund is designed to be evergreen, providing a permanent pool of capital around which SMEs can make long term plans. The Fund is flexible and will support the business community in South West England for the long term, tailoring investments to meet the needs and plans of each company.

Councillor Paul Crossley, Chair Avon Pension Fund Committee said: “There is a demand for funding for small and medium sized companies, and investment is crucial to ensure local businesses can reach their full potential. We’re very pleased to support this fund with a £50 million commitment which is Avon Pension Fund’s latest local impact initiative, following our recent successful investments into renewable energy and affordable housing in the South West. We see great potential in the businesses located across the region and we believe this Fund will support the creation of high-quality, local jobs and positively impact the local economy.”

Matt Smith, Partner at Foresight Group, commented: “We are delighted to announce we’ve reached our target in the second close of the South West Fund with support from both Devon Pension Fund and Avon Pension Fund. The additional investment from the Avon Pension Fund will allow us to invest in more ambitious growing companies across the South West.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Foresight Group

Founded in 1984, Foresight is a leading investment manager in real assets and capital for growth, operating across UK, Europe, and Australia.

With decades of experience, Foresight offers investors access to attractive investment opportunities at the forefront of change. Foresight actively builds and grows investment solutions to support the energy transition, decarbonise industry, enhance nature recovery and realise the economic potential of ambitious companies.

A constituent of the FTSE 250 index, Foresight’s diversified investment strategies combine financial and operational skillsets to maximise asset value and provide attractive returns to its investors. Its wide range of private and public funds is complemented with a variety of investment solutions designed for the retail market.

Foresight is united by a shared commitment to build a sustainable future and grow thriving companies and economies. Visit https://foresight.group for more information. Follow us on LinkedIn for key updates.

 

About Avon Pension Fund

Avon Pension Fund administers the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for over 140,000 members across 450 employers in the former Avon area. The Fund is administered by Bath & North East Somerset Council which is legally responsible for the Fund.

The Fund manages assets of £6 billion which underpin future pension promises. Avon Pension Fund’s overall commitment to local impact investing including the Foresight Fund is a 3% or c.£175m allocation.

Visit www.avonpensionfund.org.uk for more information.

 

For more information contact:

Chris Barry, Influential: Barry@thisisinfluential.com / +44 (0)7733 103 693 Foresight Group: marketing@foresightgroup.eu / +44 (0)20 3667 8100