A Worcester-based company that hosts menopause retreats across the UK has secured a £75,000 funding boost from BCRS Business Loans.
This follows a period of substantial growth for Menopause Retreats, which is the largest company of its kind in the world.
Additional funding has enabled the company to launch an online educational tool and invest in social media marketing to raise the company’s profile and promote upcoming retreats.
Six jobs are also expected to be created in the coming year.
The company is hosting a live Menopause Experts event on Sunday 5 July 2020 at Worcester’s Sixways Stadium. It is expected to be the largest menopause event of its kind in the UK where Dr Dawn Harper, of Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies fame, will be speaking and answering audience questions at the Menopause Live event.
Menopause Retreats secured finance from the Community Investment Enterprise Facility (CIEF), which is delivered to West Midlands based SMEs by alternative business lender BCRS Business Loans.
Dee Gardner, Director of Menopause Retreats and also a trained psychotherapist, said:
“Securing funding from BCRS Business Loans has been vital in supporting the growth and development of our company, as we aim to welcome an additional 22 franchisees to Menopause Retreat, taking it up to 52-strong franchise network and extending our coverage to new areas of the UK.
“Our educational retreats were established as a holistic approach to the treatment and management of menopausal symptoms; covering lifestyle, nutrition, medical and psychological issues.
“We’re change makers; seeing women arrive full of anxiety and negativity but leaving feeling positive and empowered.”
Angie Preece, Senior Business Development Manager at BCRS Business Loans, said:
“We are delighted to have supported the growth of Menopause Retreats.
“After meeting Dee face-to-face to discuss her future plans for the business, it was clear to see that the company has excellent potential and is fulfilling an important gap in the market, all of which is backed up by an experienced team.
“We take a personal, relationship-based approach to lending and believe that no viable business in the West Midlands should go unsupported. Furthermore, as a lender of social and economic impact, it is really positive to see that six new jobs are going to be created.”
Alastair Davis, Chief Executive at Social Investment Scotland, who manage the Community Investment Enterprise Facility (CIEF), said:
“I am delighted to see that CIEF is making a real difference in the West Midlands as well as the impact Menopause Retreats and BCRS are delivering in the region.
The fund was established to enable SMEs to grow and scale and support lenders such as BCRS.”
For more information about Menopause Retreats please visit www.themenopauseexperts.co.uk. To discover more about BCRS Business Loans visit www.bcrs.org.uk.