A team from regional law firm Ashfords has advised venture capital prividor BGF on its £3m backing of innovative West of England action sports protection company Ruroc.
Gloucester-based Ruroc – known for its signature full-face helmet – has experienced rapid growth over recent years and now exports to more than 80 countries. 
With the backing from BGF, it plans to capitalise on its growth in Asia following the Winter Olympics, including opening an office in China, where online sales grew by 205% last year.
Ruroc now aims to gain rapid traction across the globe as the go-to brand for action sports protective gear.
Last year online sales grew by 310% in South Korea and 205% in China.
The firm will also use the funds to launch a new motorcycle helmet, invest in product development and sales and marketing and expand its team, which has grown from seven to 35 employees in just over a year.
Ruroc’s products have become a mainstay of pitlanes for Formula 1, NASCAR, Aussie V8 and MotoGP competitions. Its helmet boasts a detachable face mask and pioneering vented magnetic goggles.
The Ashfords team advising BGF was led by corporate partner Rory Suggett, pictured. He said: “We were delighted to work with BGF again on its investment in Ruroc. It is a very strong brand with some exciting and innovative products and has terrific potential to scale rapidly with BGF’s backing.”
The BGF team was led by Alex Garfitt and Dan Tapson, who are based in its Bristol office.
Dan Tapson said: “Building a global online platform for direct-to-consumer retail can be incredibly complex, and not for the faint hearted.
“But Ruroc’s products and brand positioning resonate with people all over the world. Ashfords involvement was key to helping us get the deal over the line.”
Ashfords employs more than 500 people across its offices in Bristol, Exeter, London, Plymouth, Taunton and Tiverton.
