A historic British motorcycle manufacturer has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £1 million to fulfil a pipeline of orders and invest in research and development.
Norton Motorcycles, based at Donington Hall, Castle Donington, on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border, is seeking the investment through crowdfunding platform Crowdcube.
The Norton brand dates back to 1898, when it started out as a manufacturer of “fittings and parts for the two-wheel trade”. By 1902 the company had started manufacturing motorcycles.
The brand has been under the ownership of chief executive Stuart Garner since 2008. He has since established the factory at Castle Donington, which employs around 100 people.
After relaunching under his ownership, the Norton brand has re-established itself with its range of British designed, engineered and hand-built bikes, including models such as the V4SS and Atlas.
Today, the firm exports its products to 26 territories and has a £30 million order book.
According to the firm, it would use the money raised through Crowdcube to increase production of its V4 and 650 range and fund future innovation.
It is now appealing to motorcycle enthusiasts, fans and the wider community to invest in the brand. The move follows the company giving £1 million worth of shares to its staff.
Mr Garner said: “Norton has a proud history designing and engineering exclusive British motorcycles and it’s thanks to our skilled workforce and experienced management team which has allowed the brand to thrive and continue to build globally recognised bikes.
“It is thanks to our deep connection with our riders, owners and the motorcycle community that we are following our gift of £1 million share to our staff with looking to build a successful long-term shareholder base from the wider community itself.”
Norton produces no more than 6,000 units a year in order to uphold “exclusivity, prestige, design, technology and engineering excellence”.
Mr Garner said: “Over 10 years we have developed a niche in the motorcycle industry for designing stunning motorcycles, producing them in low volume or limited editions.
“With global distribution in selected territories we are able to produce viable volume while ensuring exclusivity across our network.
“Simply put, we love to produce stunning and exclusive motorcycles that are inclusively available to all.”
To register an interest in investing in Norton visit https://invest.nortonmotorcycles.com/register.
