How BEAR Helped a Subway Franchisee Transform His Business

A Successful Subway Franchise Owner

Our client runs two successful Subway stores, with his Luton location being his largest and busiest. When the Subway franchise requirements meant he needed to completely transform this store, he saw it as a chance to take his business to the next level.



The refurbishment requirements:

• Complete front-of-house makeover with Subway-approved suppliers
• Brand new equipment: tills, fridges, food cabinets, ovens
• Fresh flooring, lighting, table-tops, and seating
• Expanding the seating area to serve more customers
• Hiring and training additional staff

The Real Challenge: Time and Money

The Time Pressure

Every day your Subway store is closed for refurbishment is a day you're not serving your loyal customers. In the food world, customers have plenty of alternatives, and you can't afford to lose them to the competition while you're shut down.

The Money Juggle

• You still need to pay your team even when the store's closed
• Rent and overheads don't stop
• You want to invest in marketing your grand reopening
• New staff need proper training from day one
• It often takes a few weeks after reopening to get back to full strength

Our client self-funded the store refurbishment for his other Subway, but this time he needed a different approach. Traditional banks tend to see food franchises as "high risk" due to the competitive nature of the sector and tight margins. Their lengthy processes often don’t fit with the strict timeframes of franchise businesses. 

The BEAR Approach

When BEAR first spoke with our client, we took the time to really listen and understand:

• The 'why' behind the funding - What was driving this need?
  
• The pressure points - What were his biggest concerns?
  
• The bigger picture - How did this fit into his long-term business goals?
  
• The timeline reality - What did success actually look like?

BEAR’s Bespoke Solution

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, we built a tailored finance package to address the client's unique circumstances — particularly given the challenges they faced in securing the amount of finance required, for different purposes and with different time pressures. Despite the barriers, we sourced a bespoke combination of facilities designed to maximise flexibility, support growth, and align with their reopening timeline:

Soft Asset Finance

A specialist product often overlooked by clients due to lack of knowledge. This facility allowed funding for key non-tangible, business critical assets — including fixtures, fittings, branding, and equipment — under operational expenditure. Not only did this preserve upfront capital, but it also delivered tax efficiencies, spread the cost of the VAT over a period of time and freed up cash flow for other critical needs.

Commercial Loan

A structured, long-term facility to provide a solid foundation for the store’s relaunch. Funds were allocated to essential areas such as operational costs; recruiting, developing, and training new staff, executing a targeted local marketing strategy and upgrading the business website.

Short-term Loan

A flexible, focused solution designed to bridge the initial cash flow gap, while re-fit works were on-going pre-reopen. This provided the business the ability to purchase additional stock to prepare for an upsurge custom to align with the marketing campaign and store opening, along with funding existing staff wages and bills during the refurbishment works and store closure.

Efficiency & Speed

We secured initial funding within days of the first call.

A Transformation That Worked

The refurbishment was completed on schedule, the Subway continued successfully trading and came back stronger than ever with an expanded seating area.

A Partnership That Continues

Our Subway franchisee client is now also a valued partner who regularly recommends us to other Subway franchise owners.

Working With Us – The Franchisee’s Experience

“James from the very first call was on it, he was a gentleman and he stuck to his word and delivered the best result. The initial funding was sorted within days, these guys helped keep the business afloat and the renovation done.”

“James was genuine and transparent, he knows what people are facing, he understands.”

And when asked what advice he’d give to other Subway franchise owners: “Go to BEAR! Don’t see business borrowing as a bad thing, everyone needs help at some point in business for cash-flow or growth.”

BEAR & Franchise Finance

BEAR’s James always tells clients: "Speak to us first before you do anything else. We will listen to your challenges and goals to find a bespoke finance solution that meets your needs. Don't think that you have to self-fund projects, there are benefits to sourcing business finance such as tax reduction, spreading costs and maintaining cash-flow."

• Don't Go It Alone - Self-funding isn't always the smart move, even when you can afford it – don’t pay cash for depreciating assets
• Think Tax Benefits - The right funding structure can save you money you didn't even know you were losing
• Preserve Your Cash Flow - Keep your working capital for what matters most—running your business
• Speed Matters - BEAR understand your timeline pressures

Ready to Discuss Your Funding Needs?

Every franchise owner's situation is different, but the challenges are often similar. Whether you're facing a mandatory refurbishment, planning an expansion, or just need to optimize your cash flow, we'd love to hear your story.



We'll take the time to understand your specific situation and create a bespoke funding solution that works for your business, your timeline, and your goals.