Merchant Cash Advance in Bristol
Bristol is a city of independents, Gloucester Road's long parade of shops and cafes, Wapping Wharf's food and drink cluster, Stokes Croft's bars and venues, and their card takings move with footfall, weather and the events calendar in a way a fixed loan repayment simply does not track. A merchant cash advance repays as a share of those takings instead. CoreFi, a commercial finance broker, matches your case to funders on our panel; the funder alone sets the terms.
We are CoreFi, a commercial finance broker rather than a lender. Bristol's independent economy runs thick through Gloucester Road, the food and drink cluster at Wapping Wharf and around the Harbourside, North Street in Bedminster and the bars and venues of Stokes Croft, and almost all of it is card-first trading, small operators who take the overwhelming majority of their revenue through a card machine rather than an invoice.
A merchant cash advance advances a lump sum against that card turnover and takes repayment automatically as an agreed percentage of every transaction until a fixed total clears, so busy weeks repay faster and quiet weeks repay less, with no fixed monthly instalment sitting there regardless of trade. We work out whether that shape genuinely fits your business before matching you to a funder on our panel.
- 1
Walk us through your takings
Tell us what the business does, what the money is for and your timescale, and share recent merchant statements showing monthly card takings.
- 2
We shortlist funders who actually fit
We take your file to panel funders whose criteria match your turnover and trading pattern, comparing total cost rather than just headline advance size.
- 3
Sign, get checked, then draw down
After you accept an offer, the funder completes its own checks and releases the advance, with repayments taken automatically as the agreed share of card takings.
The mechanics, worked through with Bristol numbers
A Bedminster cafe taking £18,000 a month on cards is offered a £15,000 advance at a factor of 1.25, so £18,750 is repaid in total, fixed from day one. The funder collects an agreed percentage of every card settlement, typically between 5 and 20 per cent, until that figure clears. There is no interest accruing over time as with a loan, which keeps the cost transparent, but it also means clearing the balance early does not usually reduce what is owed, a detail worth weighing before signing.
Who actually raises an advance in Bristol
The recurring cases we see: a Wapping Wharf restaurant funding a refit or bridging the gap between a strong summer and a slow January, a Gloucester Road independent buying seasonal stock ahead of a peak, a Bedminster cafe replacing kitchen equipment that failed mid-service, a Stokes Croft venue funding an upgrade ahead of a booked-out quarter. What rules a business in or out is card volume, not postcode or reputation; a business that invoices other businesses is almost always better served by invoice finance instead.
New openings, and what funders actually want to see
A brand-new site is the hardest case, but not an impossible one: some funders will consider around six months of consistent card takings, particularly where the operator has a track record running other sites in the city. The advance offered in that scenario tends to be sized conservatively against the shorter history. More trading history widens the funder pool considerably and generally improves the terms on offer, which is worth knowing if you can afford to wait a little before applying.
What a funder checks, and what CoreFi actually is
Several months of merchant statements establish the monthly average that sizes the advance. Stability follows, time trading at the site, a seasonal pattern the funder can read, and whether takings are trending up or down, alongside the basics: company standing, the directors, and any existing borrowing. CoreFi is a trading name of JG Core Ltd, and we broke this unregulated commercial finance to limited companies as an activity that does not require FCA authorisation; we make no claim to being FCA authorised or regulated.
Frequently asked questions
How much could a Bristol independent actually raise?
The typical ceiling is around a month's card turnover, though established operators sometimes raise more. A Bristol cafe taking £30,000 a month on cards might see an offer in that range, though the funder always sizes it from your actual evidenced average rather than a rule of thumb.
My business only opened recently. Can I still apply?
Some funders will consider around six months of consistent card takings, especially where the operator already has a track record elsewhere in the city. The advance will typically be sized conservatively. More trading history widens the funder pool and usually improves the terms available.
What happens in a quiet trading month?
Because the split is a percentage of takings rather than a fixed sum, a slow month simply means a smaller repayment that week. It is the entire reason this product suits footfall and season-driven Bristol trades better than a fixed loan instalment would.
Is an advance cheaper or more expensive than a term loan?
In total, generally more expensive. Factor rates typically sit between 1.2 and 1.4, so a £20,000 advance could mean £24,000 to £28,000 repaid by the time the balance clears. We set that against what a term loan for the same amount would actually cost before you decide.
Is this the right product for my business?
Card-heavy trading with a short-term need is the sweet spot. Invoiced revenue points toward invoice finance instead, and a longer-term requirement usually costs less through a business loan. We would rather steer you to the cheaper product than push an advance that does not suit you.
Is CoreFi FCA authorised?
We are not FCA authorised, and this activity does not require us to be: CoreFi brokers unregulated commercial finance to limited companies, and we do not present ourselves as FCA authorised or regulated.
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