Slick £50,000 investment feels good for men’s grooming specialist

A SPECIALIST in men’s grooming products has secured £50,000 from UK Steel Enterprise to help its expansion drive and aid with the development of new product lines.

Apothecary 87 provides a premium range of men’s grooming including beard, moustache, shave and hair products for wholesale and retail.

The online shop submitted a business proposal outlining its plans for growth to UK Steel Enterprise, a Tata Steel subsidiary which provides equity and loan finance to growing companies in areas affected by changes in the steel industry, delivering sustainable employment opportunities.

Based in Doncaster, Apothecary 87 was founded by Sam Martin.

Building a brand based around its ‘The Man Club’ concept – which sees each customer receive a membership card on the purchase of a product; the business now manufactures over 20 products and processes more than 10,000 orders annually.

The rapidly growing brand has featured regularly in men’s grooming titles including GQ, FHM and Men’s Health.

UK Steel Enterprise’s regional executive Allan Wood said: “From their passion for developing new products, through to their vision for establishing a global ‘man club’, Sam and his team have demonstrated their commitment to the growth and expansion of Apothecary 87 since their foundation in 2013.

“Their investment will mean they are able to produce new products, promote the brand and expand the business further.

“The investment is part of our ongoing work to provide businesses in steel regions across the UK with support they need to expand, develop and evolve. We have supported over 6,000 businesses so far and we’re really glad to include Apothecary 87 in the network of businesses we work with.”

Mr Martin said: “The £50,000 investment from UK Steel Enterprise has enabled us to take the business to the next level – allowing us to develop and bring to market new product lines, and providing the necessary funds to promote the brand amongst key audiences.”