Lucy's of Ambleside
Ambleside, Cumbria
- Improving efficiency
- Business development
- Troubleshooting
In the Lake District, the Lucy’s of Ambleside name is synonymous with fabulous food, a zest for life and an easygoing sense of fun that has charmed visitors and locals alike. However, building a foodie empire isn’t easy, especially in the competitive Lakes market, so it was essential that Lucy’s creative spark was married to good business sense. Agenda played an active role in helping Lucy and her team to make the best use of all available resources - the rapid growth of the business made strong decision making essential.
Since then, Lucy’s has gone from strength to strength. Starting with a cafe, the business now includes a restaurant, a deli, a wine bar and bistro, a mail order service, an outside catering arm and a cookery school. Lucy is now more busy than ever, but with the help of Agenda and the ions this iconic Lakeland business is working smarter than ever before.
Agenda’s involvement in the development of Lucy’s of Ambleside culminated in the company being awarded £250,000 from the Northwest Regional Development Agency's Transitional Loan Fund. Providing valuable working capital to aid the company’s growth, the loan was part of the agency's £200m support package designed to help businesses through the recession.
Lucy’s delight at the award was plain to see. “The support from the NWDA combined with that of our bank, communication with our suppliers and the diligence of our team from bottom to top has reinforced my belief that Britain really is great.”
“I have been very impressed with the way in which the application was handled by both the NWDA and the Fund Managers. This is a fund that appears to be designed to give genuine support in times of hardship ... offering much needed working capital to see them through a difficult period.”
Read the full story by clicking here, or visit the Lucy's of Ambleside website by clicking here.
