Deal unlocks OOH media infrastructure leader’s European expansion amid surging digitization

London, 15 January 2024

Wildstone, the leading owner of outdoor media infrastructure across the UK and Europe, has completed a landmark £350 million infrastructure refinancing with Deutsche Bank as underwriter and MEAG, Lloyds, Natixis and M&G as mandated lead arrangers.

The transaction enables Wildstone to both refinance its existing debt and fund its next stage of growth across the UK and Europe. The transaction also marks the first infrastructure debt raised in the Out-of-Home (OOH) sector, and is the first widely syndicated financing for Wildstone.

Since 2010 Wildstone has established itself as a leader in OOH infrastructure by developing a portfolio of over 5,000 OOH assets across the UK, Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands and Germany. The new debt facility will enable Wildstone to further scale its portfolio in European markets and explore strategic opportunities to expand its global reach.

Wildstone’s accelerating digital rollout puts the company at the forefront of the OOH sector’s digital revolution. The company leads the way with hundreds of traditional paper billboards converted to digital at a time of unprecedented digital OOH market growth: the global digital OOH market size is forecast to double from $23 billion today to $46b by 2029, expanding at a CAGR of 15.2%.[1]  In 2023 digital OOH was also forecast to grow faster than any other advertising channel, and at four times the rate of the paper OOH market. [2] [3]  The new flexible debt facility will unlock Wildstone’s ability to further digitally enhance existing sites and invest in other capital upgrades across its portfolio.

Damian Cox, CEO and Founder of Wildstone, commented:

“Completing a refinancing of this magnitude in today’s market is testament to the quality of our estate, our people and most importantly our partner tenants. This industry-first debt facility will enable us to further expand our portfolio across Europe, aggressively scale our industry-transforming digitisation efforts and increase our operational flexibility.”

About Wildstone

Wildstone is Europe’s leading owner of outdoor media infrastructure. The company’s impressive portfolio of over 5,000 out of home media assets includes digital 48-sheet screens, classic paper and paste billboards, as well as super-premium digital sites. Wildstone buy and rent property sites for outdoor advertising across the UK and Europe.

With over 13 years of experience within the industry, Wildstone are helping shape the future of the outdoor media market through the digitization of out of home media assets.

Wildstone provide high quality roadside media assets that stand the test of time. The company uses next generation LED screen technology for all their installations, delivering digital screens that are high quality, ultra lightweight and slim.

For more information, please visit wildstone.co.uk.

Insider’s Note: Most of of our readers know that we tend not to focus too much outside of North America. But it is always wise to keep an eye on significant players who could, eventually, have an appetite for North American assets.  Wildstone has strong management, is well financed and has quickly become one of the largest OOH structure owners in Europe.

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