Vehicle lighting specialist secures six-figure funding to power growth plans

Bee Lighting, a specialist in vehicle lighting manufacturing, is gearing up for growth after securing £150,000 from the Community Investment Enterprise Fund (CIEF) via BCRS Business Loans.

Founded in 2006 by Paul Crees and Colin Fulford, the Redditch-based company works with automotive names like McLaren, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Lotus, and Ford.

The funding will support working capital needs, helping Bee Lighting scale up sales and production after the founders recently returned to the helm.

Colin Fulford, Bee Lighting operations director said: “Despite having a solid business plan, we struggled to access funds, but BCRS saw our strategy and got behind it. The funding is helping us to get the business growing again. It has helped us secure at least 20 jobs and has put us in a really good position to win new business.

“Since receiving the support from BCRS, we have increased our orders, and the business is going from strength to strength. We are now confident that we will be able to keep expanding. We have recruited three new people within the last three months and plan to create more new jobs within the next year, too. It was simple to apply for the funding. Our business development manager at BCRS was very responsive and easy to deal with. I was surprised at how straightforward the process was.”

The £62M CIEF is funded by Lloyds Bank, social impact investor Better Society Capital, and regional finance providers including BCRS Business Loans, Business Enterprise Fund, and Finance for Enterprise. The fund is designed to help businesses unable to secure traditional finance.

BCRS Business Loans is delivering CIEF support in the West Midlands and Wales, offering secured loans of £25,000 to £250,000 to fuel growth and recovery for local SMEs.

Angie Preece, BCRS Business Loans senior business development manager said: “Bee Lighting is an innovative business that delivers challenging lighting projects for some of the world’s leading brands. The company has great potential and I am pleased that BCRS has been able to provide the support that the team needs to grow sales and capitalise on future opportunities.”