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Nell’s Pizza launches in Altrincham with NPIF II funding boost

Press release 04 December 2024

Nell’s Pizza has opened a new restaurant, bringing its New York inspired pizza to Altrincham and creating up to 40 new jobs.

The new site, located at Foundation in Altrincham, has been supported with a six-figure funding boost from NPIF II – FW Capital Debt Finance, which is managed by FW Capital as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II). This investment has helped the development and opening of the new restaurant, the second branded Nell’s site following its Manchester Kampus opening in 2021. Nell’s Pizza is also available as eat-in and takeaway slice bars at Common in the Northern Quarter in Manchester and The Beagle in Chorlton.

Jonny and Charlotte Heyes, owners of Nell's Pizza

Nell’s Pizza is a family run business, operated by husband and wife team Jonny and Charlotte Heyes. The name is derived from the initials of their children’s names, Nell, Edith, and Lenny. Jonny and Charlotte have worked in the Manchester hospitality scene for nearly 20 years and run the Northern Quarter institution Common, along with Port Street Beer House and The Beagle in Chorlton.

Nell’s was born after Jonny and Charlotte identified that most pizza available in the UK is Neapolitan style. They took inspiration from time spent researching and trialling pizzas in Brooklyn to create Nell’s Pizza. The business ethos centres around using the best dough and ingredients, treated with care and attention. The dough is slow fermented over 36 hours to allow for the perfect combination of strength for folding and lightness. They use 100% British organic flour from Shipton Mill, local cheese sourced from the Crafty Cheeseman, British meat from Littlewoods Butchers and charcuterie from London based, Cobble Lane Cured.

Jonny Heyes, Owner at Nell’s Pizza said:

Nell’s Pizza is a real passion project, born from a love of pizza and the joy of making, and baking by hand. Our pizza is New York style which is thin, crisp and big! It’s fantastic to bring Nell’s Pizza to the Foundation which is an exciting lifestyle and work place development. The support of Adam Husband at FW Capital has been great. The process has been simple and Adam has been really helpful. He gets our business and understands our ambitions. The funding has allowed us to gather momentum and embark on this exciting step forward in our growth journey. The last few years have been difficult for the hospitality sector following the impact of inflation rises, dip in consumer confidence and Covid but we’re doing well at Nell’s Pizza and are excited for the future. We’re bringing 40 new jobs to the local area which is a great boost for the local economy too.

Adam Husband, Senior Investment Executive at FW Capital added:

Nell’s Pizza is a great business which is on a real growth trajectory. The pizzas are delicious and I’m looking forward to seeing the business grow even further following the successful launch of Nell’s Altrincham. The NPIF II funding is designed to help businesses unlock growth and this example shows how we can act quickly to provide the required support. Jonny was working under a timescale to launch the business and we were able to provide the financial backing they needed.

Sue Barnard, Senior Manager at the British Business Bank, said

Under NPIF II, Northern hospitality businesses can now access investment that wasn’t available to them under the previous fund, which is fantastic news for the sector. It’s great to see entrepreneurs in the region take advantage of this, with £2m of the fund having gone to hospitality businesses already. It is a delight to be supporting Nell’s Pizza through the Fund, and we wish Jonny & Charlotte all the best in their new premises in Altrincham.

The £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIFII) covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II aims to build on the success of the initial fund, with the purpose of driving sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the North of England.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for the North’s smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.  FW Capital will provide debt finance options from £100,000 to £2million to businesses based in the North West of England.

Further Information

If you are a journalist and have a media enquiry, please contact [email protected].

Notes to editors

FW Capital

FW Capital is a fund management company currently managing UK-based funds of £390.8m

For further information visit fwcapital.co.uk.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II)

NPIF II is a £660 million investment fund to support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses across the North of England launched in March 2024.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is one of a series of new Nations and Regions Investment Funds launched by the British Business Bank delivering a £1.6 billion commitment of new funding to drive sustainable economic growth.

The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II offers a range of commercial finance options with loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The fund covers the entire North of England including Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, Yorkshire & the Humber, Cheshire & Warrington, Cumbria, County Durham, Tyne & Wear, and Northumberland.

It aims to tackle an identified funding gap between the North and South of England and increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for smaller businesses.

FW Capital manages the £75 million NPIF II – FW Capital Debt Finance fund, part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II  on behalf of the British Business Bank. Finance of £100,000 to £2 million is available to businesses in the North of England with a focus on Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.

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