Chelsea Coachworks shifts up

Luxury auto bodyshop business Chelsea Coachworks has acquired additional workshop and storage space after securing five-figure funding from NatWest and Lombard Invoice Finance.

The £45,000 funding facility has enabled business owner Lyming Loo to expand the existing premises by the London Heliport in Battersea by leasing neighbouring units. The investment will provide additional space to store repaired cars ahead of being returned to their owners, as well as free up space in the existing workshop unit.

Chelsea Coachworks was rebranded in 2013 by Lyming Loo after operating under a franchise as ChipsAway’s flagship for 11 years. Over the last five years, Lyming has established Chelsea Coachworks as a bespoke auto body repair company offering professional alloy wheel refurbishments and repairs to both car owners and supporting prestige car dealerships.

The business currently employs 12 members of staff and two new jobs will be created as a result of the recent expansion.

Lyming said, ‘Since rebranding to Chelsea Coachworks as an independent company with our vast experience we have enjoyed a successful 10 years of  building a loyal customer base. Due to the steady growth of the business, we had started to outgrow our first workshop which is when I started looking for additional space and constantly updating our state of the art equipment. Thanks to the funding from NatWest and Lombard Invoice Finance we have been able to acquire the new units and increased our capacity and scope of our business over night.’

Rahul Modasia, business growth enabler at NatWest, said, ‘We have been working with Chelsea Coachworks since the company was established and have seen the business go from strength to strength. Our latest funding will help the business continue its growth trajectory, increasing capacity and creating new jobs.’