Cashmere company bounces back from pandemic

Shropshire-based Capital Cashmere, which before the Coronavirus pandemic relied on events for sales of its cashmere products, has bounced back after adapting in order to keep selling its range of products.

Before coronavirus, Capital Cashmere relied on county shows, game fairs, horse events and pop up shops to sell its cashmere clothing and accessories.

With lockdown in place and cashflow tied up in stock and event deposits, owner Alan Ball had no alternative but to furlough his employee.

Discussions with Santander led to the company securing a Bounce Back Loan to help manage cashflow challenges while Ball and his Santander business manager Sue Lane turned their attention to how Capital Cashmere could adapt and keep selling its range of products, which are manufactured in Scotland.

Elavon, a provider of payment-processing solutions helped Capital Cashmere’s set up a new website and online shop, all powered by Elavon.

Ball and his employee are now back serving customers at events and, for the first time, its luxury cashmere products can be bought online.

Ball said: “Both Santander and Elavon have been extremely supportive. The Bounce Back Loan was pivotal to my business surviving the past few months.  Through Santander, I connected with Elavon who gave me the opportunity to set up a website and online shop, which meant we could keep operating and has opened up new opportunities for the business.”

Lane added: “Alan is extremely passionate and determined to make his business a success. Like so many small business owners he’s invested a lot of his time, energy and funds to achieve this.  I am delighted we have been able to support him to successfully adapt his business.”

Richard Nash of Elavon said: “Overnight coronavirus put the brakes on Capital Cashmere’s sales. Given the face-to-face nature of his business, Alan was keen to innovate and explore new options. We’re delighted that our ‘shop-in-a-box’ solution is such a great fit for Alan and his business. It’s fantastic to see the website up and running and Capital Cashmere’s range of fantastic products reaching a wider customer base.”