Tag: business loan

Family butcher secures £2 million from HSBC UK to grow business

An award-winning family-owned and run Scottish online butcher will soon be home to the UK’s largest dry aging station, after securing a £2 million funding package from HSBC UK.

John Gilmour Butchers is building a £10 million new butchery and retail facility in Wallyford, East Lothian, to meet growing demand.

The company, which supplies dry aged beef and lamb to well-known luxury restaurants, will use the funding to purchase land in Wallyford for its new 45,000 sq. ft. site.

The additional space will hold an office, retail shop and deli, as well as three Himalayan salt dry-aging chambers capable of maturing over 6,000 pieces of bone-in sirloin and ribeye. The dry-aging chambers are dehumidifying units which draw the moisture out of the meat to increase tenderness and flavour.

The expansion will see John Gilmour Butchers take on 40 new staff members, including new butchers and mechanical technicians. In addition, the company will set up a new apprenticeship scheme to encourage young butchers to join the industry.

Daniel Gilmour, Managing Director at John Gilmour Butchers, said: “Growth is always exciting, and thanks to this funding, we’ll be able to fully embrace it by increasing our facilities and workforce.

“This will enable us to not only take on new clients, but service our existing clients to an exceptionally high level. We’re also excited to explore our ambition to export our ‘Gilmour Black Gold range’ to international clients in the near future.

“HSBC UK has been with us every step of the way and the bank’s new online customer support service has played a huge part in this. The team is always on call to assist and they share our vision.”

Coenraad Horn, Relationship Director at HSBC UK, said: “With this funding package, we look forward to seeing the new factory and new business ventures come to fruition. It’s brilliant to see this third-generation family business continuing to flourish.”

John Gilmour Butchers’ deli style retail unit will sell a range of East Lothian products and produce.

The business was founded in 1946 by brothers William and John, and has grown from a small high street store into an online business to business institution, with a burgeoning trade in London. John Gilmour is a popular staple of Scottish industry and has been the winner of awards such as Scotch Product of the Year for their Black Gold range.

Dentists secure £650,000 to open practice of the future and create jobs

Two Edinburgh-based dental practices – one NHS and one private – have been acquired as part of ambitious plans to modernise and expand their treatment offerings, thanks to support from Bank of Scotland.  

The businesses will offer implants, adult orthodontics and facial aesthetics with the goal of becoming a referral hub for specialist work from other dentists. To expand the types of dentistry on offer they have already employed an additional 6 members of staff.

La Belle Court Dental & Implant Clinic and Q Court Dental Studio, based in the same building, were purchased in August 2022 by Dr Shahad Al-Dabbagh and Dr Nadine Al-Farhan. 

After meeting at university, the women both worked in various dental practices around Scotland but wanted to own their own business that could offer specialist treatments including digital dentistry, smile makeovers, adult orthodontics and facial rejuvenation treatments such as fillers and anti wrinkle injections.

Shahad and Nadine approached The Bank of Scotland, securing a £650,000 funding package that enabled the businesswomen to purchase the two practices. The support is also funding specialist machinery including an ITERO Scanner, which takes accurate scans of the natural tooth in seconds, reducing the length and number of appointments needed. Also a CBCT machine that can produce precise 3D images of a patient’s mouth was also bought. 

As part of the acquisition, the practice is introducing improved services including same-day appointments for complex treatments.  The business is also updating the interiors including a beauty therapy room, waiting area and bathrooms. The pair also plan to change the layout of the building so they can have more surgery rooms, expanding the number of appointments on offer.

Shahad Al-Dabbagh, co-owner of Sana Corporate said: “We are delighted to open our doors and showcase the future of dentistry to the public.

“The support of Bank of Scotland has allowed us to bring our vision to life. We wanted to create somewhere that offered more than regular d

ental appointments; a place for people to relax in our Therapy Suite and be confident with their smiles with our skilled clinicians.

“We endeavour to grow our dedicated team over the next few years to provide the best dental care and want to continue expanding treatments for our patients across Edinburgh and beyond. The sky really is the limit with two working mothers at the helm!”

Scott Beaton, relationship director at Bank of Scotland commented: “We are proud to support businesses like Q Court Dental Studio and La Belle Court Dental & Implant Clinic.

“Shahad and Nadine have taken their impressive dental experience a step further by creating a space that offers more of what their customers want. It’s a great example of how businesses are evolving alongside customer needs and trends to secure success. 

“We will remain by the side of businesses across Scotland as they work to reach their full growth potential.”