An online health supplements retailer was scaling rapidly but needed flexible funding to manage inventory cycles and marketing spend. Traditional facilities weren't keeping pace with growth velocity. We secured a £300k credit line top-up from their existing lender, giving them the breathing room to capitalise on momentum.

Client snapshot

• Industry: Online retail - health supplements and wellness

• Size: Fast-growth e-commerce business

• Years operating: Established online presence

• Description: This business operates in the competitive online wellness sector, selling direct to consumers across the UK. Growth was strong, but the working capital required to fund inventory ahead of demand and sustain customer acquisition was tightening cash flow. The team needed a facility that flexed with their sales cycles rather than constraining them.

• Geography: UK-based, trading nationally online

The challenge

The business was caught in the classic e-commerce bind: sales were climbing, but so were the upfront costs of stock and paid acquisition. Cash conversion cycles were stretching as they scaled, and the existing credit facility wasn't sufficient to bridge the gap between ordering inventory and customer payments landing. They needed additional headroom quickly, without the friction of onboarding a new lender or restructuring existing arrangements. Time mattered—peak trading windows don't wait.

Why they came to us

• Existing lender relationship meant faster deployment than a new facility

• Credit line structure gave flexibility to draw down as needed, not all at once

• Top-up avoided the admin burden and timeline of a full refinance

• We know how to frame e-commerce cash flow in a way lenders actually understand

• Speed mattered, we moved in weeks, not months

Our approach

The founder came to us needing capital that worked with their business model, not against it. E-commerce cash flow can look chaotic on paper even when the fundamentals are sound. Our job was to present the story clearly and structure the ask to fit what the lender already knew about the business.

• Reviewed the existing facility terms to understand available headroom and appetite for increase

• Built a clean cash flow narrative showing inventory-to-revenue cycles and projected demand

• Positioned the top-up as de-risked expansion of a performing relationship, not new exposure

• Coordinated directly with the lender to fast-track documentation and approval

We worked closely with the founder to map out their near-term working capital needs and translate that into a case the lender could back confidently. Because the relationship was already established, we focused on demonstrating continued performance and manageable growth rather than re-proving the model from scratch. The lender approved the £300k increase within the existing credit line structure, and funds were available in under four weeks.

The impact

• £300k credit line secured, giving the business flexible access to working capital

• Funding deployed in under four weeks from initial conversation

• No need to onboard a new lender or restructure existing debt

• Team could focus on growth execution rather than cash flow firefighting during peak trading periods

The business now has the financial flexibility to manage inventory cycles and marketing investment without cash flow becoming a bottleneck. The credit line scales with them, drawing down as needed and repaying as sales convert—working capital that actually works with how e-commerce operates.

Takeaway

Fast-growth e-commerce needs funding that flexes with the model. We delivered it in days, not weeks.