Loan helps Halesowen bridal company jump aisles ahead

Accessing a business loan helped The Dressing Rooms Bridal extend its growing portfolio to include TDR Menswear , which offers men’s wedding clothing hire, as well as expanding their prom wear store, Pandora’s Prom.

The managing director of the award-winning company, Rebecca Baddeley, approached BCRS Business Loans for funding after her bank was unable to help.

She said: “We have achieved a lot in recent years, building on the success of the original bridalwear shop in Halesowen. I’m proud to say that we now have an additional three shops which are based in Oldbury and Rowley Regis and even prouder that we employ 20 local people.

“We have a turnover of over £1.2 million and are a healthy profitable business, so I was shocked when my bank was unable to help. However, I am so glad that I was recommended to contact BCRS Business Loans – they have been brilliant. They are fine tuned to business and are personal and approachable; Tony at BCRS understands my business better than anyone!”

BCRS Business Loans is a not-for-profit lender that was set up 15 years ago to support businesses that are struggling to access finance from traditional lenders. To date, by offering loans from £10,000 to £150,000, over £33.5 million has been distributed to 1,100 SMEs.

Tony Wood, Head of Credit at BCRS Business Loans, visited Rebecca after receiving a fast track enquiry from the BCRS website: “We are delighted to have supported Rebecca. After getting to know her personally and considering the business, I could see that she has a clear vision for the future of the business and has a great knowledge of the bridal sector.

“Most recently, Rebecca highlighted a need for a loan to invest in creating a uniformed brand for her stores and boost marketing activity, which has been very successful."

Speaking of the company’s impressive award collection, Rebecca said: “I feel so honoured to have been awarded several prestigious industry awards, the most recent being for Best Customer Service at the Midlands Business Awards in February 2017 and Best Bridal Retailer Midlands at The Wedding Industry Awards in November 2016 – finishing second in the UK national finals overall, which is an incredible achievement for such a tough competition.

“It’s the team at TDR Group that really makes us stand out; we always aim to provide a personable and memorable service,” concluded Rebecca.

Paul Kalinauckas, chief executive of BCRS Business Loans, said: “We’re delighted to see that the TDR Group has been able to prosper after receiving the finance it needed.

“We believe in local businesses and appreciate how important they are to the prosperity of our local economy. We understand that getting business finance can sometimes be a problem but, with a relationship-based approach to lending, we genuinely love helping small businesses achieve their goals."