Background
First Mile is an environmental services company that helps businesses reduce their carbon impact with a range of recycling, waste and circular economy services. First Mile has a differentiated approach to waste and recycling collections with a specialist focus on supporting businesses operating in city centre locations through a high level of customer service. They use technology to efficiently & cost effectively collect multiple waste streams daily across London & Birmingham.
The company was founded in 2004 by CEO, Bruce Bratley; we partnered with Bruce and the management team through an investment in May 2017 to support the business in driving rapid sales growth and supporting the scaling of its infrastructure.
Our investment partnership
First Mile has developed a well-managed operational platform that enables it to deliver an essential service, drive exceptional customer satisfaction and continue to scale. This provides the business with a compelling market position in a very large and resilient market.
First Mile has a track record of excellent growth, driven by winning new customers, existing customer repeat spend and low churn. It has achieved a very strong position in the London market, where agility and flexibility of fleet and service is paramount. The business has also expanded its footprint with operations in Birmingham and strong partnerships nationwide.
The business continues to develop its broader environmental offering to become a leader on sustainability issues.
Strategic support through our Growth Toolkit
Since our investment we have closely supported Bruce and his team with numerous strategic growth initiatives, leveraging our Growth Toolkit and Network:
