F2 medical supplies secures £200k CBILS loan from Santander UK to import 1 million face masks
F2 Medical Supplies, which imports small-sized medical products from China and Vietnam and supplies them to dental practices in the UK, has secured a finance package from Santander UK and the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
The business imports disposable gloves, masks and dental brushes. Following the government’s lockdown guidelines, dental practice orders have slowed but the company has been inundated with demand from other sectors including care homes, food manufacturers, construction, councils and providers to the NHS.
Santander UK has agreed a £200K Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) to enable the company to meet this demand and import a greater number of goods as quickly as possible, including paying for travel by air freight rather than shipping goods by sea as they usually do.
Additionally, the bank has been using its extensive network to bring together manufacturers, including F2, to support the production of vital personal protection equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies for the NHS. Santander UK is a proud to be working closely with the government’s Covid-19 response team to enable businesses to support the NHS through this challenging time.
Arvind Sarna, director at F2 Medical Supplies said: “This financing package means we can use our supply chain to quickly import 1 million facemasks to the UK to help meet growing demand. Santander has also provided invaluable support to help us to become an NHS approved supplier – showing what collaboration and great working relationships can achieve in these difficult times.”
Jill Yates, relationship director at Santander UK, commented: “We’re proud to support F2 Medical Supplies, an already successful business, as they’ve quickly adapted to help support growing demand for personal protective equipment in the UK.”
Santander UK is hosting a series of free ‘Survive and Revive’ webinars for SMEs on how to bolster their business proposition. Covering a range of topics – from innovating effectively to aligning purpose and culture – our experts delve into some of the ways that businesses have adjusted, and thrived, since the outbreak of coronavirus. You can find these webinars and a list of other helpful resources here: www.santanderbreakthrough.co.uk/coronavirus.