Butcher set to bring home the bacon with £500,000 investment
A family-run butchers in Solihull has doubled its production capacity and undergone a major refurbishment following an investment of nearly £500,000.
Eric Lyons is a fourth-generation family butcher that has been operating in Knowle since 1903, and following increased demand for its ready meals and pies as consumers look for food they can grab on the go, the business turned to Lloyds Bank for a £461,000 loan.
The loan has been used to install a new hot food cabinet and refrigerator which will display more products, as well as extra freezer and fridge space in the production rooms. This will enable the business to expand its product ranges ahead of the festive season.
Eric Lyons has also recruited an additional butcher to keep up with the rise in demand. The funding and refurbishment are expected to support an increase in turnover at Eric Lyons by 10% to £1.25m.
David Lyons, managing director at Eric Lyons, said: “The shop has been in my family for more than a century. In the last few years, there has been a growing trend for ready-to-go food and pre-prepared meat that’s oven ready. The funding from Lloyds Bank has enabled us to tap into this by allowing us to expand our production space so that we can create more of the products that our customers love.
“The team at Lloyds Bank took the time to understand our business and our ambitions. We look forward to working with them again in the future as we continue to expand.”
Nigel Arnold, relationship manager at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “Eric Lyons is an example of a business with a fantastic reputation and a strong sense of heritage. The business has a growing number of loyal customers in the area, and this refurbishment is the next step of its business journey.
“Half of British shoppers prefer to do their Christmas food shopping at independent butchers, fishmongers and markets as well as independent bakers and farm shops, demonstrating the increase in demand at local butchers like Eric Lyons.”
