Business loans for specialty retailers

Ardent Capital Group brings the same method to every client: execution and strategy, clear advice for smart lending, and long-term growth. That means the right lender, structure and timing, straight advice so you borrow with confidence, and today's deal built toward where you want to be tomorrow. We are specialists in helping business owners secure finance to purchase their own property, and we understand the complex structures that often sit around it, including multiple trusts, holding companies and self-managed super funds. Through that work we also understand what the business needs from its cash flow, and where an overdraft or line of credit fits for working capital. A specialty retailer holds most of its value in stock on the floor and in the fit-out rather than in a debtor ledger, and cash goes out on ranges months before it sells, so a generalist bank desk often reads the account conservatively and misses the strength of the operation. Our role is to know the bank and non-bank lenders among our panel of more than sixty that fund retail on trading and stock turn, so you are not approaching each one yourself, and to stay with you as you buy bigger ranges, refurbish and open the next store. Every figure is subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

It depends on how quickly you need it and what you are willing to offer as security. Unsecured facilities are assessed mainly on trading strength and can be arranged in days, which suits a limit of $100K to $500K for a stock buy or a soft fit-out. Secured facilities, backed by property, support larger amounts and price better, and make sense once you are funding a premises purchase or an acquisition. Most established retailers end up with a mix, and we shape which sits where.

It depends on your trading, your structure and the purpose, but lending here commonly runs from $100K to well into seven figures, and our range extends to $100M for larger multi-store operators. Retail is read on trading strength and stock turn rather than a debtor book, so getting the buying cycle presented properly matters. The binding constraint is usually serviceability rather than security, and we shape the funding early so you know your number before you commit.

Yes, and the fit-out is normally the security rather than your home. Retail fit-out finance covers joinery, shelving, lighting and shopfront works, and POS system finance covers the tills and stock control, both new or used. Terms are typically matched to the life of the fit-out, and established businesses can often be assessed on bank statements and BAS rather than full financials. Funding it this way keeps the spend off your working capital line, so the cash you buy stock with stays free.

By sizing the facility to the buy rather than to a quiet month, which is the part retailers most often get caught by. The order for a Christmas, winter or new-season range needs paying long before any of it sells, so we fund it against your trading and your sell-through pattern and set repayments to fall as the stock clears. A revolving line can recharge each buying cycle so it is there for the next one. Bring us the buying plan early, subject to serviceability and lender approval.

No. Plenty of retailers fund stock buys and fit-outs without touching the family home, either through unsecured facilities assessed on trading, or by securing against the fit-out and equipment being purchased. Property security does buy you a larger limit and a better rate, so it is worth considering once you are borrowing well into seven figures or buying premises. The choice is yours, and we will show you what each option costs before you commit.

Yes. Many lenders assess established retailers on 6 to 12 months of bank statements and recent BAS rather than full year-end financials, which suits operators whose accounts lag the current run rate through a growth patch or a strong season. It works best where the trading account shows regular receipts and the ATO position is current. If you have a payment plan in place, say so early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is disclosed and being met.

Yes, and it is a commercial property deal rather than a working capital one. Your trading performance and the premises are read together, and owning the shop takes a rising rent out of your cost base while building an asset alongside the business. Owner-occupiers can generally borrow a higher proportion than a passive investor would. Our commercial property team handles these end to end through our specialty retail commercial mortgage service.

Yes. A second location carries fit-out, bond, opening stock and staffing before the site earns anything, and an acquisition adds the purchase price and often a stock-on-hand payment on settlement. We fund the expansion against your existing trading and the projected performance of the new site, and structure repayments to build as it ramps up. Where the deal mixes goodwill, stock and a lease, we shape the facility so each part sits where it is best funded, subject to serviceability and approval.

Most of the time, no. We are paid a commission by the lender once your facility settles. Where a deal requires significant preparation or involves unusual complexity, a small mandate fee may apply. We will always be upfront about this before any work begins.

Although we are based in Sydney, we service clients across all major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart, along with their surrounding regional areas. Wherever your business is located, we can arrange your finance.

Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, such as a property loan for your retail premises, we also assist with shop fit-out finance for retailers and working capital. On asset finance, that covers store fit-out and refurbishment, tills and stock systems through retail fit-out finance. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit, seasonal inventory funding and cash flow facilities. We also arrange commercial mortgages if you are buying or refinancing the premises your store trades from.