A north Essex company is well set for growth after relocating with the help of a grant scheme designed to support job creation in the Tendring district.
The Lampshade Company, originally formed in Colchester and now based at Ardleigh, has received a grant of £15,559 from the Tendring SME Growth Fund.
The £750,000 scheme, supported by funding from Essex County Council, provides grants for small and medium-sized businesses – new and existing – which are located in, or relocating to, Tendring.
The Lampshade Company manufactures lampshades by hand using a range of designer fabrics including Osborne and Little, Emma Bridgewater, Sanderson and Liberty.
It also offers a service where customers can send in their own wallpaper or fabric in order to make bespoke pieces, matched to the customer’s existing décor.
The business has relocated from its previous studio in Colchester to larger premises at Mother Studios in Ardleigh as a result of increasing demand, particularly among commercial customers such as restaurants, hotels and cruise ships as well as individual lampshades for the home.
The Tendring SME Growth Fund grant will be used to purchase new machinery to increase efficiency in the workshop and a company vehicle to meet the increased demand, creating four new jobs.
Angela Berry, owner of The Lampshade Company, said: “It can prove extremely difficult for a small business like ours to grow.
“The support we have received from the SME Growth Fund will really help us take our business to the next level and implement our growth strategy. We are all very excited about the future of the business and what this may bring to the local community.”
Sectors covered by the Tendring SME Growth Fund include manufacturing, electrical/mechanical engineering, energy, low carbon, maritime and research and development, with the fund also able to support supply chain businesses working in these sectors as well as firms directly involved.
Businesses can apply for between £3,000 and £150,000, but must also invest their own funds – 75% of the cost if it is an existing business or 50% if it is a new start-up.
Zoe Fairley, Tendring District council’s cabinet member for investment and growth, said the fund represented an excellent opportunity for local businesses to expand and create new jobs.
“The council is proud to be able to support our businesses through this scheme,” she said. “I sincerely hope that the success of this particular company will serve as an inspiration to those looking to start up or grow within Tendring and that they come forward with their own bids.”
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