Wimbledon seeks backers for management buyout

The company wants to find an investor who is willing to pump £3m into the business, which it says will help it generate an estimated £20m worth of business over the next five years.

Major shareholder Panther Securities, which has a 25% stake in the company and owns the freehold of the four-acre site, said the level of investment required was outside its remit.

Panther Securities chairman Andrew Perloff, who has also backed Wimbledon Studios in a personal capacity, said the group was now willing to sell the freehold to encourage investors.

The equity available to potential investors is negotiable, but at least Panther’s 25% and the freehold is available.

The investment funds would be spent on kit to boost the studios’ current offering and “iron out inconsistencies” between the studios, said managing director Piers Read.

“There is also the potential to build more studio space on the site,” he said.

“We want to capitalise on the lack of studio space in London. This summer, we lost out on a couple of co-productions because they needed 30,000 sq ft of space.

“A year down the line, I’d like to think we could facilitate a production like that. Our ambition is to attract large-scale shows like X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing - that is our target market.”

Wimbledon Studios is the former home to The Bill.

It was sold to Panther Securities for £4.75m in September 2010. Recent productions at the facility include Tipping Point, Episodes and Mrs Brown’s Boys: The Movie.