Plutus Business Finance unlocks £14.5 million trade finance facility with HSBC to support UK food importer

London, United Kingdom, September 22nd, 2026, FinanceWire

Plutus Business Finance has successfully structured a £14.5 million multi-part trade finance facility with HSBC for a food ingredient importer and distributor, after the company struggled to secure bank-based funding.

When a contamination issue at a supplier warehouse in India severed the company’s relationship with its existing lender, the food ingredient importer and distributor found itself in one of the hardest positions a UK business can face: approaching a major bank for funding with an ongoing banking exit on the books.

It's the kind of situation that can signal trouble for businesses struggling with cash-flow. Instead, thanks to Plutus Business Finance, it ended with a £14.5 million funding facility from HSBC.

The Problem at Hand

The company imports spices from suppliers in India. 

However, the business faced a big challenge when its previous banking relationship broke down after a contamination issue at a supplier warehouse. This left the company in the difficult position of approaching a new major lender for funding with a recent banking exit on its books - a situation that often limits funding options.

However, despite these challenges, Plutus Business Finance, the specialist commercial finance broker, has announced it has structured and successfully secured a £14.5 million deal for the company. The multi-part facility combines trade finance, invoice finance, a term loan, and property refinancing.

The structure allows the business to improve its cash flow as it continues importing spices into the UK at scale. 

Over 80% of UK SMEs Report Cash Flow Difficulties

The deal comes at a time when cash flow remains a consistent issue for UK businesses. 

According to the CICM, more than 80% of SMEs report experiencing cash flow difficulties. 

For importers and distributors in particular, the need to pay big upfront supplier costs whilst waiting for stock to arrive and customers to pay can add a lot of financial pressure. 

Unfortunately, too few lenders have the technical experience to provide loan products that are actually built around how these businesses operate.

Speaking on the transaction, Declan Burton-Clark, founder of Plutus Business Finance, said: “Deals like this are rarely straightforward, but having extensive trade finance knowledge on our side made a real difference. After all, when you’re working with a business that had lost its previous banking relationship, you tend to start on the back foot with a new lender. But what really made the difference was how the deal was structured and presented. We worked closely with HSBC to make sure that the deal was presented in a way that was attractive to them. HSBC has one of the best trade and debtor finance programmes in the UK, especially for businesses operating internationally. So the combination of approaching the right lender and having the technical knowledge to put their mind at rest is what really made this deal possible.”

Plutus Business Finance specialises in structuring funding solutions for UK businesses, particularly those requiring trade finance and supplier funding. With access to more than 100 lenders and a Director who has £100 million+ in funding structured, the firm works closely with clients to match them with suitable lenders for their business needs.

About Plutus Business Finance

Plutus Business Finance is a specialist UK finance broker based in London that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) structure trade finance, supplier finance, and revolving working capital facilities

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