The working week begins with a new, B-rated loan offering. The purpose of the proposed loan is, according to the borrower, to acquire “Macrimex Limited [a fashion company – see below] for a total consideration of [£] 286,000. The purchase price includes fixtures, fittings and goodwill with the remainder of the consideration comprising working capital and due diligence/professional fees.”
Below, we offer more detail of the terms on which this loan is being sought. Money&Co. has made its best efforts to verify that the statements of the borrower are true, but we cannot categorically warrant that they are true. We offer some relevant excerpts, below, on that basis:
“[Macrimex is a company that engages in] wholesale (90%) and retail (10%) trade of women’s lingerie, specialising particularly, in providing high quality fittings for plus sized women. 90% of sales are currently with the UK with 10% overseas. The business has done little marketing to date but under new ownership the business intends to grow online sales and exploit the as yet untapped US market. There are plans to overhaul the website and roll out new marketing initiatives such as attendance at trade shows.’
Customers
“The business wholesales mainly to small boutique stores based in the UK. 90% of sales are repeat business though this is expected to change as the business aims to grow quickly following acquisition. The new owners having good knowledge of the US and thus and it is expected that future sales will form an ever-increasing part of the revenue stream.
Suppliers
“The business maintains a very strong relationship with its garment supplier, Mila Vitsa (based in Minsk) that manufactures Macrimex’s garments. There remains a long-standing agreement that Berdita has exclusive rights to sales in the UK, Western Europe and US. The companies have worked together for 15 years and over the years Berdita has helped Mila Vitsa to improve the quality of its garments.
Performance
The performance of the business has been steady over the last 4 years. The reduction in sales noted in 2017 is a result of little marketing undertaken in the year. Having said this, the vendor has maintained stable profits by operating with very low overheads. This is a fairly simple business with stable working capital. With fixed assets being almost fully depreciated, the value in the balance sheet is made of working capital of which stock makes up c. [£]120,000. The stock has been inspected by Michael Roban and it is all deemed to be saleable. Money&Co. have covenanted the company to increase the level of cash it holds each year until the loan is fully repaid.
“The business has been owned and run by the vendor since its inception 15 years ago when he noticed a gap in the women’s undergarment market. Over the years he has fine-tuned the operations of the business to fit with his lifestyle and provide a tidy profit. The business has been put up for sale as the vendor has reached retirement age and wishes to slowly wind down his involvement in the business. While the business is performing steadily in the UK, it is currently run as a lifestyle business with the vendor having no interest in exploiting the opportunities for e-commerce and tapping into foreign sales markets. Whilst the business has its own website, it is considered quite basic, and aside from attending a few trade shows there is little spend on marketing. Under new ownership the business will significantly step up its sales and marketing efforts and several new initiatives are to be implemented.”
More detail is available to registered users of the Money&Co. site.
Money&Co. P2P loan performance
Money&Co. is in the P2P business-lending sub-sector of crowdfunding. And is part of the fast-growing trend in crowdfunding loans. Money&Co. lenders have achieved returns of almost 9 per cent – before deduction of our one per cent fee – in the three years and nearly £10 million of loans facilitated on our platform.
In addition to new loan offerings, our secondary loan market, offering existing loans for sale by lenders, is available to registered Money&Co. users. All loans can be held, tax-free, in an Innovative Finance Individual Savings Account, or Innovative Finance ISA.
Risk
If you haven’t made a loan via Money&Co. before, please read the risk warnings and the FAQ section. You may also wish to consult a financial adviser before making an investment.