£650k Funding Boost for St Helens Furniture Manufacturers

20th February 2007

A St Helens-based fine furniture manufacturer is injecting some style into homes all over the UK with backing from Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF).

Belle Maison Home Interiors Limited design and manufacture furniture and accessories for all areas of the home including a wide range of nursery and children’s furniture. The unique designs include Swedish, Gustavian and French-style pieces available in a variety of finishes.

The furniture can be bought direct through the Belle Maison website which offers a home delivery service to customers throughout the UK and Ireland.

Belle Maison’s products are also sold in stockists throughout the UK and Ireland including Harrods of Knightsbridge and The Fenwick Group.

The company has raised a £650k finance package that included a £100k loan from MSIF - the rest being made up of directors’ own investment and factoring.

Belle Maison was set up in 2004 by husband and wife team Mark Essex and Rebecca Dale-Essex. The company was originally based in Guildford but moved to its current site in St Helens in the middle of 2006.

Managing Director Mark Essex said: “We have seen a huge increase in orders recently, particularly with the introduction of the web-based direct sales side to the business.

“To enable us to keep up with demand for our product we need to upgrade our production facility. The money from MSIF means we can buy new state-of-the-art machinery that will allow us to manufacture more quickly and bring out new lines.”

Alan Birkett, Investment Manager of MSIF’s Small Firms Fund said: “This company has a solid customer base which is continuing to grow. It is run by a dedicated management team and we are pleased to be supporting them.”

Belle Maison currently employs 15 staff and this figure is expected to double over the next year. Turnover this year is expected to reach £1.2m this year rising to £5m over the next two years.

For more information about Belle Maison visit www.bellemaison.com ”

For further information contact Angela White at Merseyside Special Investment Fund on 0151 236 4040 or Angela.White@msif.co.uk

Ends

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Pic shows - Rebecca Dale-Essex and Mark Essex (Belle Maison) and Alan Birkett (MSIF)

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