Cash advances for UK food wholesalers.
For food wholesalers, fresh produce suppliers, and ingredient specialists serving the trade. Funded against your card and account-pay takings. Built for operators feeding restaurants, caterers, and independent retailers.
What MCA means for a food wholesaler.
Food wholesale supplies restaurants, takeaways, cafes, caterers, independent retailers and the trade. Most revenue is on 7-30 day account terms; trade-counter card takings are typically 15-35% of total. Suppliers (Booker, Bidfood, Brakes, JJ Food Service) are often manufacturer-tied and card-clean. Independent food wholesalers operate with thin margins and tight cashflow. Common uses: refrigeration upgrade, delivery van fleet refresh, racking and warehouse expansion, cold-chain compliance kit, B2B ordering platform, marketing for hospitality customer wins.
Sound familiar?
Refrigeration capacity bottleneck.
Walk-in chiller and freezer expansion £25k to £120k. Industrial refrigeration is the difference between holding stock through summer and losing margin to spoilage.
MCA funds the refrigeration upgrade. Spoilage savings plus expanded chilled-line revenue feed back into card and account flow. Asset finance for the refrigeration kit specifically is often cheaper. We'll quote both structures.
Delivery van fleet refresh.
Refrigerated transit van £35k to £60k each. A single failed van means missed deliveries and lost customers. Fleet refresh £100k to £300k.
Asset finance is usually the right tool for vehicle fleet specifically. MCA covers the wraparound costs (livery, telematics, racking) and working capital while the new vehicles bed in. We'll structure across both.
Hospitality customer wins need stock and rep capacity.
Winning a 20-restaurant group account requires stock backing and a dedicated rep. £20k to £80k of working capital before the first invoice settles 30 days later.
MCA bridges the rep-and-stock buildout. Repayment paced through the new account's card and bank-settled flow. Combined with invoice finance for the trade receivables themselves where useful.
Here's what it actually costs.
An independent food wholesaler borrows £50,000 for chiller expansion and customer-acquisition rep team. Monthly card revenue (trade counter + small accounts): £30,000. £50,000. Average monthly card takings £30,000. Fixed cost 1.22. 11% daily repayment % on card sales, total cost £11,000.
These figures are illustrative. If a term loan or asset finance fits your situation better, we'll tell you.
Open the fixed cost calculator →Work out the real cost.
New businesses typically start at a higher daily % and a shorter term.
£45,000 is the maximum advance for your card takings (150% of monthly card takings).
Illustrative only, not a quote.
- Advance£45,000
- vs card takings150%
- Fixed cost1.22
- Daily repayment£108
- Avg monthly£3,300
- Est. term16.6 months
Illustrative. The fixed cost is set on day one; daily repayment varies with takings. Term capped at 18 months.
Illustrative only, not a quote. Every figure here is subject to the funder. Funders advance anywhere from 100% up to 150% of monthly card takings, so 150% is not guaranteed, and the fixed cost is not guaranteed either. Your actual advance, fixed cost and terms depend on the funder and your business profile.
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Apply with these numbersFood wholesalers, quick answers.
20% card mix is the lower end of comfortable for MCA. We'd usually combine a smaller MCA with invoice finance for the trade receivables. Together they give you working capital coverage without overloading either facility.
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