The Christmas Rush
How a Manchester bistro secured £30K in three days to stock up for their busiest season
Alex called me back the same afternoon, explained exactly what the repayments would look like, and we had the money in three days. Dead straightforward.
Tom runs a 60-cover bistro in Manchester's Northern Quarter. The food is seasonal, the team is tight, and November is when the planning starts for their biggest month of the year.
"Christmas is make or break for us," she says. "We do about 40% of our annual revenue in December. But to do it properly - the menu, the wine, the decorations, the extra staff - you need cash upfront. And in November, cash is the one thing we don't have."
She'd tried her bank first. They wanted three months of paperwork and couldn't promise a decision before mid-December. "That was too late. I needed the stock ordered by the end of November or the suppliers wouldn't guarantee delivery."
A friend who runs a pub in Didsbury mentioned CapExpand. Tom filled in the online form on a Tuesday lunchtime. Alex called him back that afternoon.
"He didn't waste my time. He looked at our card sales, asked a few questions, and said he thought we'd be eligible for around £30K through a merchant cash advance. He explained that repayments would come as a small percentage of our card takings - so in January, when it's quiet, we'd pay less. That was the bit that sold me."
The paperwork was straightforward: three months of card statements and a form of ID. By Thursday, the money was in the account.
"We placed every order that week. The Christmas menu was sorted, the wine was bought, and we hired two extra people for the kitchen. December ended up being our best month ever."
The outcome
Tom's bistro had their highest-grossing December on record. The advance was repaid through card sales over seven months, with lower repayments during the quieter January and February. He's since used CapExpand for a second round of funding to refurbish the private dining room.
Could this work for your business?
2 minutes. No credit impact. A real person calls you back.