The company that provides costume, make-up and catering trailers for Britain’s burgeoning TV and film production sector is poised for a London listing.
Facilities by ADF has hired advisers from Cenkos Securities for a float in the coming weeks as it looks to capitalise on the fierce demand for studio space.
Funds raised from the listing will be used to bolster its fleet beyond 500 vehicles to keep pace with an industry expansion accelerated by the streaming giants.
ADF, which is based in Bridgend, Wales, works on-location at TV and film sets across Europe, offering artist trailers, dining vehicles and services that support productions.
The decision to go public is underpinned by the strength of the UK’s production sector, which has expanded beyond traditional broadcasters such as the BBC and Channel 4 to work with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The welter of apps battling to fill their services with original content sent sales to streamers up 6pc to £356m last year, according to industry body PACT.
It has prompted the American firms to book large amounts of production space, creating a squeeze on talent and facilities across the UK.
In September, Netflix announced a long-term lease with Longcross Studios, the production facility in Surrey behind James Bond’s Skyfall and Star Wars.
The streaming company behind The Crown and Sex Education already has exclusive access to most of Shepperton studios in West London, while Disney is renting most of Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
Troubadour Theatres announced a deal on Thursday to transform a former Toys ‘R’ Us retail site at Brent Cross Town into a film and TV studio.
The company, which runs the Wembley Park Theatre where The Curious Incident of The Dog In the Night-Time is playing, already owns the Meridian Water Studios in north London that has made shows for the BBC and Netflix.
Meanwhile, Hudson Pacific Properties is building a £700m studios in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, as Hackman Capital Partners invests £300m into London’s biggest production facility in Dagenham.
However the surging demand is causing costs to rise. Jane Turton, the boss of All3Media, the TV production group behind ITV’s Des and BBC’s Call the Midwife, told The Telegraph in October that there was now “intense pressure around space, talent, facilities and underlying IP”.
ADF and Cenkos Securities declined to comment.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/12/13/company-behind-caravans-movie-stars-poised-london-listing/
