Empire Unwrapped Episode 7: Racing for Charity, Financial Triumphs, and Welcoming New Talent
Welcome back to another exciting edition of Empire Unwrapped! It feels like summer is flying by, and here we are at the start of August already. We hope you share the same enthusiasm as our team because we’re about to jump straight into our latest edition of Empire Unwrapped.
Chester Pantomime Horserace
Our campaign journey for the Chester Pantomime Horserace has been filled with hilarious moments, great promotional material, and an unexpected upset! We kicked off with engaging posts and videos featuring our mascot, The Empire Global Trotter. The feedback was fantastic, and we managed to surpass our fundraising target by an astounding 175%, all in support of the Hospice of the Good Shepherd.
As race day approached, we shared behind-the-scenes content of our intense training. Our camel was in peak shape and ready to race. On the big day, The Empire Global Trotter led the pack, and we were poised to win by a landslide. However, in a dramatic and hilarious twist, we quite literally lost our head – the head of our camel costume fell off right before the finish line, causing our contestants to tumble and miss out on the trophy. Despite the setback, it was all in good fun, and even Sky Sports dubbed our camel “An Absolute Shambles.”
A big thank you to everyone who supported us and to the Hospice of the Good Shepherd for the opportunity.
Private Client Guide
We’re proud to announce our comprehensive Private Client Guide, designed to bridge the gap between complex financial concepts and practical, actionable information. This guide is specifically tailored for high-net-worth individuals, providing them with the knowledge they need to make informed financial decisions.
Updated annually with current market trends and insights from leading experts, our guide ensures clients always have access to the most relevant and up-to-date information.
Jersey Business Trip
Our recent trip to Jersey was a huge success. We attended the annual PCD Event and created some fantastic content. We filmed with industry leaders such as David Bell and Dominic Wertheimer and conducted an exclusive interview with Donald Millar. Thanks to Livingroom Property for the stunning Le Val Lodge venue, which made our cinematic shoot possible. Our content has already surpassed the previous viewership records of our beach-side interview from a year ago!
Significant Deal Closure
We recently celebrated a significant deal closure, securing an £11,000,000 development loan for ‘The Hoo’ in Belsize Park, Hampstead. Originally a hospital, ‘The Hoo’ will be transformed into three high-end residential units. This challenging project, expertly managed by our Head of Property Development, Peter Williams, underscores our capability to handle complex property finance cases.
We will continue to monitor the progress of the development as our Head of Marketing, Nick Uzarewicz, alongside the expert behind the transaction, Peter Williams, have already begun shooting our video case study of ‘The Hoo’s’ progress.
Recent Successful Deals
We’ve had an incredibly busy month with several noteworthy deals. Firstly, we closed a large £67 million property refinance for an office block in Central London, owned via a Guernsey trust. Although it hasn’t closed yet, we’ve had formal credit back, and the terms and valuations are currently underway. This is a refinance from a major high street bank.
We also secured a loan for a portfolio of Travelodge hotels spread across the UK, for a total of £10 million. Additionally, several development projects on the Wentworth Estate were secured by our CEO, Matt Davies – more to follow on these.
We are currently assisting a well-known rugby club with a £1 million refinance exercise that we aim to update you on in the coming weeks.
Another noteworthy transaction we handled was the refinance of two villas in Majorca, both of which are absolutely stunning!
We recently completed the refinance of a property portfolio for a Saudi national which continues to cement our Middle Eastern footprint and presence.
A significant deal that our Managing Director has been working on, involves the refinance of a large shoe retailer who owns 28 stores.
We are also well-progressed with a refinance of 200 houses for a PLC. And, we also refinanced a large buy-to-let on the Wentworth Estate for a Saudi national.
Welcoming Martin Ellam
Let’s talk recruitment! We’re delighted to welcome Martin Ellam as our new Senior Relationship Manager. With over 20 years of banking experience, Martin’s expertise in mortgage and property finance aligns perfectly with our mission. We’re excited to have him on board and look forward to the exceptional service he will provide to our clients.
Martin has settled incredibly well into our team, and we are certain that he will be a key player in continuing the growth of our Empire.
Wrapping Up
That’s all for this month! Thank you to everyone who contributed to our successes and to everyone who supported our fundraiser for the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. We look forward to sharing more exciting updates next month. Stay tuned for another great month of coverage!