Maven Capital Partners, advised by Swinburne Maddison LLP, has invested £250,000 in pioneering automotive styling centre, Muss Media Ltd (“Muss Styling”). The funds raised were provided by the Finance Durham Fund and will enable the company to invest in its design, sales and marketing functions, roll out a national car dealership engagement strategy and employ additional wrap technicians to fulfil growing demand. As a result of the investment, the firm will establish its design, sales and marketing functions in County Durham.
Founded in June 2015, Muss Styling provides professional automotive wrapping services which involves applying large sheets of high quality printed vinyl to cover vehicles and transform their appearance. The firm started out wrapping cars for individuals, including celebrities, quickly establishing a strong social media following on Instagram and YouTube, before progressing to services offered to commercial clients.
The investment in Muss Styling is the second Finance Durham Fund deal on which Swinburne Maddison have advised Maven in quick succession, both deals led by Alex Wilby, Partner in the firm’s Corporate and Commercial team.
Commenting on the deal, Alex Wilby stated: “It was a pleasure advising Michael and the team at Maven on their latest Finance Durham Fund investment. The Finance Durham Fund is a fantastic initiative which is making a real difference to businesses within County Durham. Muss Styling is an exciting young company with a big future and I wish them all the best with their plans for growth.”
Michael Vassallo, Investment Director of Maven, said:
“Muss Styling is a highly ambitious business with an impressive product range that has already achieved great success in the automotive industry on a local and national level. The fact it has such a large following on social media, and some impressive blue chip car dealership customers and a number of high profile celebrities, is testament to the quality of the company’s products. Jamie is a hard-working, talented businessman with a dedicated team behind him that will help drive the business forward to achieve its ambitious growth plans.
“This investment is a great fit for the part of the Finance Durham Fund allocated to support innovative companies relocating to the County. We look forward to working with more companies like Muss Styling who are looking to grow their presence and support job creation in the region.”
Jamie Mussett, Managing Director of Muss Styling, said: “We are really excited to expand our offering to provide commercial fleet wrapping, signwriting, commercial signage and graphic design all in-house. Muss Styling has already established itself as a market leader in professional car wraps, tints and automotive design. It is through our team’s hard-work and dedicated support from partners that we look forward to taking the business to the next level. When we started the company we were told you couldn’t do this up here, so we are very proud of our success and overwhelmed with the phenomenal support we’ve received locally and nationally.”
Sarah Slaven, Business Development Director of Business Durham, said: “Muss is a company which is growing quickly and its success to date demonstrates its expertise in this area of the automotive industry. We look forward to welcoming Jamie and the Muss team to County Durham and working with them as this exciting business continues to grow.”
Cllr Carl Marshall, Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “It is great that an innovative and growing business like Muss Styling has chosen to move to County Durham with the support of the Finance Durham Fund.
“We wish Muss Styling the best of luck as it continues to expand and look forward to working with other companies planning on moving to our county, creating jobs and boosting the local economy.”
