Cash advances for UK plumbing merchants.
For independent plumbing merchants and trade counters. Funded against your card takings from trade and DIY customers. Built for operators serving plumbers, heating engineers, and the public from one busy counter.
What MCA means for a plumbing merchant.
Independent plumbing merchants run on a mix of trade-account customers (plumbers, heating engineers, contractors) and walk-in cash/card sales. Trade accounts settle on 30-day terms; counter sales card-pay on the spot. Card mix often runs 30-50%. Higher than people assume. Lenders weight both. Common uses: stock buy for boiler change-over season, branch refit, second-branch expansion, picking and racking upgrade, delivery van for trade accounts, marketing for installer relationships, EPOS system replacement.
Sound familiar?
Stock buy for the autumn boiler season.
August to November is when plumbing merchants stockpile boilers, parts, and heating consumables ahead of the cold-weather installer rush. £15k to £80k of stock in one or two big buys.
MCA bridges the stock-to-sales gap. Repayment scales as installer trade picks up through autumn and winter. Daily repayment % from card flow comfortably absorbed by the seasonal volume.
Branch refit or trade-counter modernisation.
Counter, racking, customer-service area, EPOS upgrade. £20k to £70k of works. Disrupts trading if poorly sequenced, so off-season works (June-July) are common.
MCA funds the works in the quiet window. Daily repayment % is low in summer when card takings are lower, then ramps with the autumn trade. Lender expects this seasonality.
New trade van for delivery and rep coverage.
Sprinter or LCV with shelving and signage £25k to £45k. Loyalty-building delivery service for trade accounts pays back over years but the van costs day one.
Asset finance is usually the cheaper tool for the van itself. MCA can fund the wider rep-rollout (van wrap, fuel float, sales materials). We'll quote the right structure.
Here's what it actually costs.
An independent plumbing merchant borrows £30,000 for autumn stock buy and EPOS upgrade. Monthly card takings (trade counter + walk-in): £45,000. £30,000. Average monthly card takings £45,000. Fixed cost 1.2. 11% daily repayment % on card sales, total cost £6,000.
These figures are illustrative. If a term loan or asset finance fits your situation better, we'll tell you.
Open the fixed cost calculator →Work out the real cost.
New businesses typically start at a higher daily % and a shorter term.
Illustrative only, not a quote.
- Advance£30,000
- vs card takings67%
- Fixed cost1.20
- Daily repayment£163
- Avg monthly£4,950
- Est. term7.3 months
Illustrative. The fixed cost is set on day one; daily repayment varies with takings. Term capped at 18 months.
Illustrative only, not a quote. Every figure here is subject to the funder. Funders advance anywhere from 100% up to 150% of monthly card takings, so 150% is not guaranteed, and the fixed cost is not guaranteed either. Your actual advance, fixed cost and terms depend on the funder and your business profile.
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Apply with these numbersPlumbing merchants, quick answers.
Yes, 40% card mix is healthy for an MCA. Lender uses card revenue to size the advance and treats account-pay as supporting evidence of overall trading scale.
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