When Trevor Sutter’s father opened Sutter’s Delicatessen in West Kingsdown, Kent, in 1972, it started life as a traditional local butcher’s. More than 50 years later, the family business is still going strong, but it looks quite different today.
Trevor has gradually transformed the shop into a thriving delicatessen at the heart of the village. Alongside its original cooked meats, Sutter’s now has counters filled with cakes, salads, sandwiches, pastries, sausage rolls, samosas and hot food.
That transformation hasn’t happened overnight. Since becoming a Dojo customer in 2021, Trevor has taken eight rounds of funding through Dojo and YouLend, using each round to make practical investments in the business as and when they were needed.
The first major investment was new tills and scales. Since then, funding has helped Trevor purchase commercial ovens, a large chiller, a hot food counter and, most recently, a new air-conditioning unit. Together, these investments have helped him completely refurbish the shop, introduce new product lines and create the business customers see today.
“If I didn’t have the capital from YouLend, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve done here with a complete refurbishment.”
Funding that moves with the business
For Trevor, one of the biggest benefits has been the flexibility of the repayments. Rather than committing to the same fixed payment each month, repayments are linked to the shop’s sales and taken as a small percentage of daily takings.
That means repayments naturally move with the business, particularly valuable for an independent retailer where sales can fluctuate.
“You’re not looking at the end of the month thinking, ‘I’ve got to pay £500 fixed.’ You see it every day, and it’s just a small percentage that’s paid off. It’s a much, much better system.”
The process of accessing funding has also allowed Trevor to move quickly when the business needs something new. Through Open Banking, he can securely connect his financial information, with offers typically coming back within 24 hours.
“It’s the easiest thing you’ve ever done.”
Investing in what comes next
After eight rounds of funding, Trevor is still looking for ways to move Sutter’s forward. The next step is to extend the shop’s opening hours, while a new delivery van is also on his wish list to support the growing buffet and delivery side of the business.
But behind all the investment is a family business that has been part of West Kingsdown for more than five decades. For Trevor, seeing the shop busy and supported by the local community is also about continuing what his father started in 1972.
“If he saw it now… he would absolutely love it. To see how busy it is, how much the village loves it, the customers we’ve got, he’d be over the moon.”
From new equipment to a complete refurbishment, each round of funding has helped Trevor make the next investment when the time was right — allowing a traditional family butcher’s to evolve into a modern local deli while keeping its roots firmly in the community.
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