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The Aesthetics Club Secures IFS Funding to Support Expansion

Press release 16 July 2024

The Aesthetics Club, an award-winning aesthetic clinic providing premier beauty treatments, has secured a £250,000 loan from the Investment Fund for Scotland (IFS), via appointed Fund Manager, The FSE Group.

Photo of The Aesthetics Clinic Founder Fiona Ross

The loan will enable the opening of two new clinics located in Glasgow and Edinburgh, expanding services and creating a number of new jobs.

The £150m IFS covers all areas of Scotland – Greater Glasgow, Greater Edinburgh, Aberdeen and North East, Dundee and Tayside, South of Scotland and the Highlands and Islands and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.

Founded in 2018 by Fiona Ross, a registered nurse, The Aesthetics Club has quickly established a strong reputation for excellence, experiencing a 100+% increase in business across its existing Glasgow and London clinics since 2021, attracting over 7,000 registered customers. The Aesthetics Club is now set to expand its footprint by opening new clinics in Glasgow South and Edinburgh as well as maximising concession and brand partnership opportunities, further broadening its reach.

We are thrilled to receive this investment to support our expansion plans. Our significant growth, loyal customer base and high wait lists demonstrate the demand for our services but securing funding based on future sales can be particularly challenging for smaller businesses. We are delighted FSE’s projection-led approach means we can access this much-needed funding source from the IFS. - Fiona Ross Founder of The Aesthetics Club
This is a thriving business with levels of demand that underscore the market opportunity available to The Aesthetics Club. With 100% customer satisfaction, a strong brand identity and limited competition offering a similar breadth of treatments and expertise, this strategic expansion is supported by solid projections that indicate ongoing profitability. We look forward to working with Fiona and her team as they continue towards their growth goals. - Jim Pritchard Investment Manager at The FSE Group
The Aesthetic Club’s growth over the past six years is nothing short of impressive, and it is ideally placed to capitalise on the demand for premium quality beauty treatments. It is great to see the impact that the IFS has delivered for smaller businesses across a diverse mix of sectors in less than a year. Supporting female-led businesses is a key priority for us, and it is inspiring to see leaders like Fiona excel in their respective fields. - Mark Sterritt Director, Nations and Regions Funds, at the British Business Bank

The purpose of the Investment fund for Scotland is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across Scotland. The Investment fund for Scotland will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for Scotland smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.

Further Information

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Notes to editors

About the Investment fund for Scotland

  • Operated by the British Business Bank, the IFS provides a mix of debt and equity funding. IFS will offer a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans from £25k to £100k, debt finance from £100k to £2m and equity investment up to £5 million. It works alongside the in-region small business finance ecosystem, including local intermediaries such as accountants, fund managers and banks, to support the Scotland’s smaller businesses at all stages of their development.
  • The funds in which the IFS invests are open to businesses with material operations, or planning to open material operations, in:  Greater Glasgow, Greater Edinburgh, Aberdeen and North East, Dundee and Tayside, South of Scotland and the Highlands and Islands.
  • Supported by Nations and Regions Investments Limited, a subsidiary of British Business Bank plc, the Bank is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government.
  • Neither Nations and Regions Investments Limited nor British Business Bank plc are authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) or the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
  • For investment by NRIL at the sub-fund level the investment from the Nations and Regions Investments Limited into Sip & Bark does not amount to any endorsement or warranty from Nations and Regions Investments Limited, the British Business Bank plc or the government of the United Kingdom.
  • For investment by IFS sub-fund at the investee company level the investment from The Investment fund for Scotland into Sip & Bark does not amount to any endorsement or warranty from Nations and Regions Investments Limited, the British Business Bank plc or the government of the United Kingdom.

About The FSE Group

The FSE Group has been providing high-growth SMEs with accessible market-gap funding since 2002. We work with stakeholders and partners, including British Business Bank, Funding Yorkshire, Funding London and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to deliver regional funding that supports job creation and economic prosperity. With a range of funds that combine commercial return with an economic impact rationale, FSE is committed to investing in sustainable businesses that will grow, provide employment, and generate economic benefit in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

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