FOR RETAILERS & STORE OWNERS

Retail Business Loans and Working Capital

Retail cash flow swings with the calendar. You have to buy inventory months before the holidays, cover payroll through slow weeks and move quickly when a bulk-buy discount or a second location comes along. Clear helps boutiques, specialty shops, florists, furniture stores and other retailers get working capital fast. One application gives you access to merchant cash advances, short term loans and lines of credit from 100+ lenders, with funding in as little as 1 to 2 days.

Apply for Retail Financing

Retail Working Capital Calculator

Amount Seeking
Desired Term
Estimated Weekly Payment
$0
500,000
Start Application
Funding up to
$5,000,000
Term lengths between
3 - 36 months
Funding within
1 - 2 Days
Time in business
6 months+
Stock Up for Busy Seasons
Buy inventory ahead of the holidays and peak seasons without draining your cash
Flexible
Use the funds for any business purpose, from inventory and payroll to a store remodel or new location
No Collateral
Merchant cash advances and short term loans require no collateral

What You Need to Get Started

Minimum Qualifications

6 months in business

$250,000 annual revenue

500+ FICO score for a merchant cash advance (600+ for a short term loan)

Required Documents

Completed Application

3 most recent business bank statements

Ready to Get Started? Apply Now

I didn’t have an immediate need for funds but wanted to have access to funding in case of an emergency. Clear got me approved for a line of credit and it fit the bill perfectly.

A Kucharskey Controller

Retail Financing FAQs

Related: Working capital loans · Merchant cash advance · Short term loan

Common uses include buying inventory ahead of the holidays or a busy season, taking advantage of bulk or early-pay discounts from suppliers, covering payroll during slow months, remodeling a store and opening a new location. Merchant cash advances and short term loans have no restrictions on the use of funds.

Merchant cash advances and short term loans can fund within 1 to 2 days of approval, and it’s not uncommon for clients to receive funds the next day. You typically need only a completed application and your 3 most recent business bank statements.

Yes. Many retailers use a short term loan or merchant cash advance to stock up before their busiest season and repay it from the sales that inventory generates. If you’d rather have funds on standby, a line of credit of up to $250,000 lets you draw only what you need and pay interest only on what you use.

A short term loan offers up to $5 million over 6 to 36 months with interest from 11%, and generally needs a 600+ FICO score. A merchant cash advance is our easiest product to get approved for (500+ FICO) and offers up to $2 million over 3 to 24 months, priced with a factor rate from 1.14 instead of an interest rate. Your Clear loan advisor can compare offers side by side so you can choose.

A factor rate is the total cost of a merchant cash advance. For example, if you receive $20,000 at a factor rate of 1.15, you repay $23,000, so your cost of money is $3,000.

Often, yes. A merchant cash advance can work with a FICO score of 500 or higher because approval is driven mainly by your revenue and bank deposits. Short term loans generally need 600+, and lines of credit 650+.

For a merchant cash advance: 6 months in business, $250,000+ in annual revenue and a 500+ FICO score. For a short term loan: 6 months in business, $250,000+ in annual revenue and a 600+ FICO score. For a line of credit: 12 months in business, $400,000+ in annual revenue and a 650+ FICO score.

Merchant cash advance payments are made daily (Monday to Friday), weekly or semi-monthly by automatic ACH withdrawal. Short term loan payments are weekly or monthly. With a merchant cash advance, payments are normally tied to a percentage of your sales, so if revenue drops you can usually ask to lower the payment.

Clear is a business loan marketplace with 100+ lenders. One application lets you compare offers across products, and a dedicated loan advisor helps you choose terms that fit your sales cycle. See how a toy store, a flower shop, a local bookstore and a furniture store got funded.