A BELFAST company specialising in the design, manufacture and delivery of strength and conditioning fitness equipment has muscled in on a £300,000 cash injection from the Growth Loan Fund.
BLK BOX Fitness will now invest in a new e-commerce platform which will drive overseas sales, fund working capital and expand into new markets, and will take on 12 staff as a result.
Since starting up in a modest garage six years ago, BLK BOX has moved to Titanic Quarter, where it now designs and manufactures in a 20,000 sq ft plant employing 24 people, and it has worked with businesses such as Google, Arsenal FC and Pure Gym.
Managing director Gregory Bradley said: "Our unique selling point is that we design and fit out gyms from start to finish - only two other companies in the UK do this and we're the only one in Ireland to offer this service.
"The Growth Loan Fund has enabled us to extend into new markets like Dubai.
"Our staff numbers continue to increase on a monthly basis and we recently added another three people to the team. We've also secured a trial contract to fit out a number of Pure Gym facilities."
The £50m Growth Loan Fund is delivered by WhiteRock Capital Partners, whose senior investment manager Neil McCabe said: "BLK BOX has become one of the most respected brands in a fitness industry worth over £4.7 billion, where it has managed to identify a gap in the market for high quality custom products.
"It has worked with some of the biggest names in sport and continues to go from strength-to-strength, and the company is in a strong position for continued growth."
