NHS supplier meets increased demand with finance deal

A Leicester manufacturer and supplier of healthcare, hospitality and school sportswear clothing and uniforms has secured a finance facility to meet increased demand and responds to changing customer requirements as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With its cash flow impacted by the surge in demand for healthcare uniforms as a result of the pandemic, the funding from HSBC UK through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) has allowed Grahame Gardner to increase its stock capacity while maintaining supplier payments.

Alongside an increase in demand for healthcare uniforms, Grahame Gardner has also seen a shift in buying patterns from retailers for school sportswear.

James Greenlees, CEO of Grahame Gardner, said: “We’ve been extremely busy over the last six months, with demand for our healthcare uniforms increasing significantly. We have been banking with HSBC UK since our company was first founded over a hundred years ago and its support, particularly during this heightened period, ensured we were able to continue to operate.

“We’ve been extremely fortunate to see our sales increase by 150% during the pandemic. While we’ve seen a significant increase in the quantities of products required by our customers in a relatively short period of time, we also anticipate that this increase in provision of uniform to the health sector will continue in the future. Based on our ability to meet increased levels of demand, we have also been approached by new customers looking to source large volumes of products with fast lead times.”

David Tomlinson, HSBC UK East Midlands area director, added: “We were pleased to be able to support the team at Grahame Gardner to ensure the continued delivery of vital supplies to workers on the frontline during the pandemic. The additional facility has not only supported the company in the short-term, but also helped the team to begin to plan for the future and the shift in buying patterns longer-term.”

Grahame Gardner, established in 1906, initially started producing school wear, but the company’s primary focus now is medical wear, supplying uniforms to the NHS since its inception, and are one of six suppliers on a national framework.

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