Simmons Bar

"Going directly to loan companies felt like a better option for us, the rates were slightly better and it felt like an easier process."

Bar staff from Simmons Bar Soho
Food and Drink
Food and Drink

Nick Campbell wanted to expand his chain of cocktail bars in London and launch the newest Simmons Bar in Soho. To do it, he and his business partner Jason needed £50,000 for refurbishments and the down payment on the lease, as well as a flexible line of credit for the future needs of the bar. We helped Simmons Bar find the unsecured loan they needed to quickly secure the perfect premises for a new cocktail bar.

The team's existing business bank was the obvious first choice, and they were offered a £25,000 unsecured loan. But Nick and Jason needed more than this to carry out their plans, and the bank was unwilling to negotiate because their offer was based on trading history — rather than the clear signs of a growing business doing well in the fast-moving London bar scene.

Nick had heard about crowdfunding in a TV ad and considered it for the business. He also approached a second high street bank, but decided that comparing all his options was the best course of action, so he got in touch with Funding Options.

After an assessment of the business and a chat about their options, Nick and Jason chose RateSetter, an innovative peer-to-peer lending platform.

RateSetter looked at Nick and Jason’s considerable experience running profitable bars in London, their excellent track record, and the fact that they’d identified a clear market opportunity – they agreed a £50,000 loan for the new Simmons Bar.

We packaged the deal quickly and it was turned around fast by RateSetter, so Nick and Jason could stick to their tight deadlines and keep the project on track. They also appreciated some of the benefits of RateSetter, like having no early repayment fees and the option to draw down again in the future — both big advantages for a business in a period of fast growth.

Find out more about the finance options available to help your business grow and adapt here.

Business Funding UK

Let us help you find the best business finance solutions in the market. We will guide you through the whole process and make sure you get the best deal.

See your Funding Options

Match with 120+ Lenders

It’s free to apply and it doesn’t affect your credit score

Expert help throughout the process

Loans from £1000 to £20M


More customer stories

Prima Fitness UK

Prima Fitness

The funding helped director Matthew Williams keep Prima Fitness afloat during Covid-19, so it could continue to be the heartbeat of its local community post-lockdown.

Greg from Unity Wealth Management

Unity Wealth Management

"I can’t believe how easy it was, it was just incredible. It probably took me 20 minutes to put together the documents and then Joe went and sourced the finance. I think it was 24 hours in total."