Berkshire-based business, Creative Retail Entertainment Ltd, is a dynamic organisation that has been in operation since the mid 1980s.
Initially part of a larger group of companies, it became independent in the early 2000s following a management buyout ("MBO"). As experts in the provision of audio-playback and interactive point-of-sale systems to the retail and catering markets, many of their customers are well-known high street brands and the business is on track for significant growth.
Business Challenge
Raj Kumar, Managing Director at Creative Retail, had been utilising an invoice finance service from another lender for some time, however poor service and increasing fees meant that he needed to look for an alternative. One of the difficulties the business was faced with was being in a niche industry that isn’t always favourable to many other invoice finance providers. All of these challenges combined made Raj concerned about his options.
Solution
Brian Duffy at Cabot Asset Finance had worked with Creative Retail for many years and knew the business well. In his opinion, Close Brothers Invoice Finance was the best fit and the team had the right level of expertise and knowledge to be able to tailor a suitable package. An invoice discounting arrangement was agreed, via our IDeal™ platform. In addition, they took advantage of bad debt protection product, ensuring the business is now covered in the event of bad debt from customers.
Result
Since commencing with Close Brothers the organisation has saved 50% on fees compared to their previous finance partner and is now making a healthy profit. Raj provided feedback to his Client Manager and expressed how pleased he is with the service and the IDeal™ system, “Close Brothers has an excellent understanding of our business needs and provides a service that is value for money. The transition from our previous supplier was seamless and the IDeal™ system is very user friendly and simple to use, with minimum training needed.”
Brian Duffy said, “It was a fairly complex situation with an unusual product offering and I’m pleased with the perseverance shown by the team. Their responsiveness made it a quick and smooth transaction and a really positive outcome for the client.”
