SME funding specialist River Capital provides £250,000 loan to support the opening of a new franchised SPAR convenience store in Liverpool city centre. Tony McDonough reports

Entrepreneur Xiuwen (Kent) Gu has secured a £250,000 loan via River Capital to open a new SPAR convenience store in Liverpool city centre.

Kent, who has already spent more than 13 years building up Ejoy Asian Foods venture in the city, is using the cash from the North West Business Growth Loan Fund to support the development and fit-out of a 4,500 sq ft retail unit at Milliners Yard on London Road.

It will trade as a SPAR and Cheeky Coffee Co – a lifestyle concept combining SPAR convenience retail, a dedicated café area, hot food-to-go, Asian grocery, and essential services including an ATM, PayPoint, Lottery, and parcel service.

Kent brings not just that operational experience to the new venture, but an established Asian grocery supply chain that will power one of the store’s most distinctive offerings.

He said: |River Capital understood the vision from the outset. London Road is changing, and this store is designed to be part of that change — offering something genuinely different for residents, students, hospital staff, and the wider community.” 

This site was identified by SPAR franchise partner James Hall as a high-potential location, with a 14-page assessment and strategic planning report noting that the street has evolved into Liverpool’s de facto second Chinatown and pan-Asian food hub.

Its catchment draws on 258 apartments directly above the unit, the University of Liverpool’s north campus, eight student accommodation blocks within walking distance, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, and a large commuter population served by Lime Street station nearby.

The store has opened with an initial team of nine staff and this is expected to grow to 13 jobs during the loan term.

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Jim Moore, investment manager at River Capital, added: “Kent is an impressive operator with a genuine track record in Liverpool’s retail sector.

What struck us was not just his experience, but the quality of the proposition — this isn’t a standard convenience store, it’s a genuinely differentiated concept designed around a well-evidenced catchment.

“With the backing of the SPAR franchise and the site’s long-term potential as the surrounding area continues to develop, we’re confident this is a strong investment.”