Complete this online form with details of your enquiry and one of our advisors will call you back.
Purpose-built and refurbished buildings are central to the success of farm shops and rural retail businesses. Whether you are converting an agricultural building, extending an existing shop, or refurbishing space to support a café, bakery, or food production area, the right premises enable long-term growth, diversification, and resilience.
Building projects, however, often place pressure on cash flow. Construction costs, professional fees, materials, utilities, and compliance works frequently overlap with ongoing demands for stock, staffing, and seasonal trading. Specialist asset finance, arranged by a rural-focused adviser, allows these projects to move forward without placing unnecessary strain on farm finances.
Gable Business Finance works with farm shops and rural retailers across the UK, structuring building-related finance solutions that support growth while protecting day-to-day cash flow.
Modern farm shops are no longer simple retail spaces. Many now operate as destination businesses combining retail, hospitality, food production, storage, and events. Buildings must support this complexity while delivering a positive customer experience.
Investment in buildings can help farm shops to:
Expand retail and hospitality capacity
Improve customer flow and dwell time
Meet food safety, accessibility, and compliance standards
Diversify income through cafés, bakeries, and food-to-go
Improve operational efficiency and storage
Enhance brand perception and customer experience
Add long-term value to the wider rural enterprise
Because these benefits are realised over many years, spreading the cost through the right finance structure is often more sustainable than relying on overdrafts or retained cash alone.
While buildings themselves may involve property finance, asset finance plays a critical role in supporting the wider project. This includes funding fixtures, fit-outs, installed equipment, and releasing capital already tied up in existing assets to support construction or refurbishment works.
Asset finance allows farm shops to progress with development while preserving cash for:
Stock purchases
Seasonal staffing
Marketing and launch activity
Day-to-day operating costs
Gable Business Finance specialises in structuring asset finance that reflects the realities of rural trading, seasonal income, and mixed-use businesses.
Hire Purchase is a flexible and cost-effective alternative to using overdrafts or traditional bank loans to fund assets associated with building projects.
It provides immediate access to essential assets while spreading the cost over an agreed term. Repayments can be matched to cash flow, making it particularly suitable for farm shops with seasonal trading patterns. Gable Business Finance can arrange fixed or variable rate options depending on whether certainty or flexibility is preferred.
A key advantage of hire purchase is ownership. Legal title to the goods passes to the business at the end of the agreement, making it ideal for long-term assets installed as part of a building project. Interest payments are typically tax deductible, capital allowances may be available on qualifying assets, and VAT is usually recoverable immediately on the full purchase price (excluding cars).
Hire purchase agreements are supported by simple, clear documentation, with Gable Business Finance managing the process from start to finish.
Finance leasing offers a flexible and tax-efficient way to fund assets used within farm shop buildings while leaving cash free for other priorities.
Under a finance lease, your business pays rentals for the use of the asset rather than owning it outright. Rentals can be structured to match cash flow and are often aligned with the depreciation of the asset. Fixed or variable rate funding can be arranged depending on your requirements.
At the end of the agreement, you can usually continue using the asset for a nominal annual payment or sell it and retain most of the sale proceeds. This flexibility suits farm shops where layouts or equipment needs may evolve as the business grows.
VAT is payable on the rentals rather than the full purchase price of the asset, helping to ease cash-flow pressure during development works. Finance lease documentation is straightforward and transparent, with support from Gable Business Finance throughout.
In addition to asset-based finance, Unsecured Term Loans provide a straightforward funding option for building-related projects where security is not required or where costs extend beyond physical assets.
An unsecured term loan provides upfront funding that can be repaid over time, making it particularly useful for fit-outs, refurbishments, and intangible project costs that may not be suitable for traditional asset finance.
Typical facilities range from £10,000 to £500,000, with repayment terms of 3 to 6 years, offering predictable monthly repayments without the need to secure the loan against property or assets.
Unsecured term loans can support a wide range of growth-focused building and development costs, including:
Fit-outs and refurbishments for existing or new premises
Soft assets and intangible costs linked to development projects
Purchase of new equipment and machinery
Investment in technology, IT systems, and software
Marketing, customer acquisition, and business expansion initiatives
These facilities are often used alongside hire purchase or finance lease to create a balanced funding solution that covers both physical assets and associated project costs.
Gable Business Finance helps assess whether an unsecured term loan is appropriate and ensures repayments are structured to remain affordable alongside seasonal trading demands.
Many farm shops already own valuable assets outright. Refinance allows Gable Business Finance to help unlock a percentage of the current market value of those assets, releasing cash back into the business.
This released capital can be used as working capital to support building projects, refurbishment works, or related costs, without impacting existing bank facilities. The business continues using the assets as normal while improving liquidity.
Repayments are fixed for the duration of the agreement and can be matched to cash flow, providing certainty during periods of development and growth.
Building projects often coincide with increased pressure on cash flow, particularly where customer payments are delayed. Debtor finance allows farm shops to release money tied up in their sales ledger and maintain momentum.
Debtor finance provides access to an ongoing supply of cash linked to sales, improving cash flow and reducing debtor days. It simplifies sales ledger administration, frees up time from accounting tasks, and allows business owners to focus on managing development projects.
Improved liquidity also enables earlier payment of suppliers, bulk purchasing, and access to volume discounts. Debtor finance can free up assets previously held as security and support additional lending opportunities.
Successful building projects are rarely funded through a single solution. Gable Business Finance takes a joined-up approach, helping farm shops combine:
Hire purchase for permanent building-related assets
Finance leases for flexible fit-out elements
Unsecured term loans for refurbishments and soft costs
Refinance to release existing capital
Debtor finance to protect day-to-day cash flow
This tailored approach ensures building projects progress smoothly without unnecessary financial pressure.
Gable Business Finance specialises in rural and agricultural business finance. They understand the unique challenges faced by farm shops and rural retailers, including seasonal income, mixed-use premises, and the close link between farming and retail operations.
Their approach is practical, personal, and focused on long-term sustainability. By working with a wide panel of lenders, Gable Business Finance secures competitive terms and structures finance around how rural businesses actually operate.
If you are planning a new build, conversion, extension, or refurbishment, the right finance structure can make the difference between stretching your cash flow and growing with confidence.
Speak to Gable Business Finance today to discuss building-related finance tailored specifically for farm shops and rural retailers. Their specialist knowledge of the rural sector ensures your finance solution supports both your immediate project and your long-term goals.