Exclusive – Boxpark to accelerate expansion plans after securing multimillion-pound LDC investment: Multi award-winning hospitality and leisure operator Boxpark has set its sights on expansion across the UK following a significant cash injection, Propel has learned. Founded as a pop-up mall ten years ago and currently boasting sites in Shoreditch, Croydon and Wembley, Boxpark harbours ambitions of rolling out new sites across Britain over the next five years. Boxpark has now secured a multimillion-pound investment from mid-market private equity firm LDC as it looks to add to those three London sites, plus its new BoxHall concept, which will open in Bristol next April. LDC is backing the existing management team, led by Boxpark founder Roger Wade, Simon Champion and Ben McLaughlin, with existing non-executive director John Leslie becoming non-executive chairman. Charles Dunstone has exited his involvement in the business. The partnership with LDC comes after Boxpark reopened earlier this year with record sales and strong like-for-like growth, and the company is on track to generate revenue of more than £18m in the year to April 2022. Wade said: “After such a difficult 18 months in the sector, we have secured a new partnership that recognises our unique proposition and growth potential. It will enable us to accelerate the rollout of new sites in London and into major cities such as Bristol and Manchester. This is such an exciting time for the business as we approach our ten-year anniversary later this year, and I am proud to have such an incredible team behind it who have all worked extremely hard with the added challenges of covid-19.” Boxpark opened its first site in 2010, in Shoreditch, with Croydon following in 2016 and Wembley in 2018. Boxpark has also secured its first site outside London with the launch of sibling concept BoxHall, in Bristol. The group has just agreed a lease for the harbourside location at the regeneration of Welsh Back Bristol’s O&M’s sheds, which is being delivered by Cordwell Property Group. Unlike Boxpark developments that focus on placemaking and creating spaces, BoxHall sites will be located in existing buildings within town and city centres across the UK. Opening in June 2022, BoxHall Bristol is a new and premium food and beverage-led concept with a modern food hall structure, set to offer “high-quality product ranges and carefully-selected, authentic cuisine” from local, independent street food traders and restaurant operators in Bristol.