--- title: "Business funding for retail & shops — working capital for UK retail companies" description: "How short-term business finance fits UK retail companies — buying stock ahead of a season, a shop fit-out, new tills, or opening a second site. The company borrows, never the director: no personal guarantee, no personal credit check. To apply, head to credicorp.co.uk." canonical: "https://creditcorp.co.uk/industries/retail/" locale: "en-GB" updated: "2026-06-21" --- # Business funding for retail & shops > How short-term working capital fits a UK retail company — seasonal stock, shop fit-outs, tills and EPOS, and multi-site growth. This is the Creditcorp brand front door at **creditcorp.co.uk** — it never takes applications, prices loans or accepts payments. The operating lender is **Credicorp Limited** at [credicorp.co.uk](https://credicorp.co.uk/); the company/legal detail lives at [creditcorpgroup.co.uk](https://creditcorpgroup.co.uk/). **Canonical URL:** **Last updated:** 21 June 2026 --- ## Who can borrow Credicorp Limited lends **only to bodies corporate** — UK limited companies (Ltd), LLPs and PLCs. The borrower is always the **company**, never the director, an individual or a sole trader. There is no personal guarantee, no charge over a home and no personal credit check on a director. This is exempt business lending, not consumer credit. See [Lending and regulation](https://creditcorpgroup.co.uk/lending-and-regulation/). The products are the same three for every sector — a [Business Bridging Loan, Credicorp Flex or Credicorp Slice](https://creditcorp.co.uk/products/). This page explains how each tends to be used in retail. ## Where the cash-flow gaps come from Retail money leaves the business in lumps and returns in a trickle. Four pressure points show up again and again: - **Stock ahead of a season** — Christmas ranges ordered in summer, spring lines landing while winter stock is still on the shelf. The best margin goes to the retailer who commits early and in volume, which means paying weeks or months before a single unit sells. - **Shop fit-outs and refreshes** — a refit, shelving, a counter, lighting, signage or a window scheme is a one-off cost with a clear payback, but the bill lands all at once and the work is best done in a quiet week when takings are lowest. - **Tills, EPOS and card terminals** — when a till or EPOS dies it isn't optional; you can't take money without it. The upgrade is a capital outlay you'd rather not pull from the float in one go. - **Opening or stocking a second site** — a second shop doubles the stock-holding, deposits and fit-out before it doubles the takings, and multi-site retailers carry that gap at every branch at once. ## Which kind of finance fits a shop The detail — amounts, pricing, terms — lives on the [products page](https://creditcorp.co.uk/products/) and with the lender; no figures are quoted here. - **[Business Bridging Loan](https://creditcorp.co.uk/products/)** — a single lump sum repaid over a short fixed term. Fits a known, one-off buy: a seasonal stock order, a fit-out, a new till, a deposit on a unit. - **[Credicorp Flex](https://creditcorp.co.uk/products/)** — a revolving facility to draw on, repay and draw again. Fits retail's natural rhythm: topping up stock in waves, covering each branch as it needs it, dipping in for a peak and paying down in the quiet weeks. - **[Credicorp Slice](https://creditcorp.co.uk/products/)** — spread one supplier bill over a few weeks while the supplier is paid in full today. Handy when a wholesaler's bill for a range lands at an awkward moment. The journey end to end is on the [how-it-works overview](https://creditcorp.co.uk/how-it-works/). ## The company borrows — not you Many shop owners have already signed personal guarantees they didn't love — a lease, a card-machine contract, a supplier account. The Credicorp model is the other way round: the agreement is between Credicorp Limited and your **company**. - **No personal guarantee** — the company is the borrower, full stop. - **No charge over your home** — your house isn't security for shop stock. - **No personal credit check on a director** — the lender looks at the business, not your own file. - **Bodies corporate only** — UK Ltd, LLP or PLC, never a sole trader or an individual. This is exempt business lending under Article 60B of the FSMA Regulated Activities Order 2001, not consumer credit. The full position is on [creditcorpgroup.co.uk](https://creditcorpgroup.co.uk/lending-and-regulation/). ## A worked example *An illustration, not a real customer.* A homewares shop trading as a UK limited company runs two high-street units. In late summer the owner wants to commit early to a Christmas range — ordering in volume locks in the best price and guarantees stock before the rush, but the bill is due on the supplier's terms, long before December takings arrive. The older shop also needs a tired counter and a failing till replaced before the busy weeks begin. Because the need is one-off and the payback is clearly the season ahead, a fixed-term Business Bridging Loan to the company fits the stock buy and the till together: a known sum, repaid over the trading weeks that earn it back. The agreement is with the company, so the owner gives no personal guarantee and puts no charge over their home. If the second shop needs a mid-season top-up, a Credicorp Flex facility would let them draw again without starting over. *Made-up illustration to show the fit, not a quote — real amounts, pricing and terms are set by the lender at credicorp.co.uk.* ## Retail funding questions **Can my retail company borrow to buy stock ahead of a season?** Yes — it's one of the most common reasons a shop uses short-term finance. A Business Bridging Loan suits a single known stock buy; Credicorp Flex suits a retailer that restocks in waves. Specifics live with the lender. **Will I have to give a personal guarantee or a charge over my home?** No. Credicorp lends to the company, not to you as a director — no personal guarantee, no charge over a home, no personal credit check on a director. **Can I use it for a shop fit-out or new tills and EPOS?** Yes. A refit, shelving, a counter, signage, a till and card-terminal setup or an EPOS upgrade are all working-capital uses; a fixed-term Bridging Loan often fits a fit-out cleanly. **I run more than one shop — does that change anything?** The borrower is still the company, however many sites it trades from. Multi-site retailers tend to value a facility they can draw on as each branch needs stock — Credicorp Flex is built for that. **Is this a consumer loan or a payday loan?** Neither. This is business credit to a body corporate, not consumer credit, and not for sole traders. Under Article 60B FSMA RAO 2001, lending to a UK company sits outside the consumer-credit regime. **How quickly can funds reach my business account?** Business loans are typically released to your company bank account on the same working day once the agreement is signed. Apply or check timing at credicorp.co.uk. ## Related sectors - [E-commerce & online](https://creditcorp.co.uk/industries/ecommerce/) — the same stock-ahead-of-a-peak gap, with marketplace payouts to wait on. - [Wholesale & distribution](https://creditcorp.co.uk/industries/wholesale/) — the suppliers behind the shelves, buying in bulk to hit a price break. - [Hospitality & food](https://creditcorp.co.uk/industries/hospitality/) — another counter-led trade with feast-and-famine, seasonal cash flow. Browse the whole set on the [industries hub](https://creditcorp.co.uk/industries/). ## Next steps (all on credicorp.co.uk) - [Apply](https://credicorp.co.uk/apply/) — start an application on the live lender site. - [Compare the three](https://credicorp.co.uk/compare/) — pick the right product side by side. - [Contact the lender](https://credicorp.co.uk/contact-us/) — phone, email, post. ## Make sure you have the right Credicorp Creditcorp Group = **Credicorp Limited** (UK, company no. 16093826) + **CM Beyer Limited** (UK, company no. 17009212), with group-related **Credicorp Pty Limited** (Australia, ACN 679 428 605). It is **not** connected with, owned by or affiliated to Credicorp Inc / Credicorp Ltd of Peru & Bermuda (BCP, NYSE: BAP) or Banco de Crédito del Perú, to Credicorp Nigeria, or to Credit Corp Group Limited of Australia (ASX: CCP) — each a separate, unrelated company. --- © 2026 Creditcorp Group · Credicorp Limited (16093826) & CM Beyer Limited (17009212). Operating lender: [credicorp.co.uk](https://credicorp.co.uk/) · Group & brand: [creditcorpgroup.co.uk](https://creditcorpgroup.co.uk/).