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FINANCING FOR DISTRIBUTORS AND WHOLESALERS

Financing for Distribution and Wholesale Operations

Distributors and wholesalers acquire, store, manage and resell goods, often paying suppliers well before customer collections arrive. Keeping inventory available and fulfilling orders on time can require significant capital, even when sales are healthy.

Great Elm Commercial Finance provides asset-based lending to middle-market distributors and wholesalers. We look at the strength of your management team and your collateral, which can include accounts receivable, inventory and machinery and equipment, and we focus on speed and certainty of execution.

Warehouse staff with a forklift and pallets between tall orange racking

INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

Where Distribution Cash Flow Gets Constrained

Distribution and wholesale models turn on timing. Goods go out the door before cash comes back in.

These are the pressures that most often tighten liquidity.

Suppliers expect payment on set terms, and those obligations can come due before collections from customers arrive. Reliable supplier relationships depend on paying on time.

Buying stock ties up cash, and holding it adds storage, handling and insurance costs. Every day product sits unsold is a day that capital is committed but not earning.

A major order can require more stock, more staff and more working capital before the first payment arrives, so growth itself can strain liquidity.

Many distributors and wholesalers build inventory ahead of peak periods and pay suppliers before the sales that follow, which stretches working capital at predictable points in the year.

WHO WE FINANCE

Distribution Businesses We Support

We work with established distributors and wholesalers that have strong management and a collateral base we can lend against. Typical borrowers include:

Warehouse team fulfilling customer orders
  1. 01

    Established Distributors

    Businesses with recurring commercial sales, supplier relationships and a base of receivables and inventory that can support borrowing.

  2. 02

    Wholesalers

    Wholesalers carrying meaningful inventory and receivables, managing bulk purchase timing against the payment terms of their commercial buyers.

  3. 03

    Expanding Distribution Businesses

    Companies investing in facilities, handling equipment or additional customer relationships, where growth requires capital before new revenue arrives.

$5MM–$500MM

Typical Annual Borrower Revenue

Financing availability and eligibility depend on the individual transaction, eligible collateral, and underwriting requirements.

$5MM–$30MM

Typical Target Loan Size

A typical target, not a limit. Loan size depends on the individual transaction, eligible collateral, and underwriting requirements.

FINANCING APPLICATIONS

Finance Inventory Flow and Fulfillment Capacity

Distributors and wholesalers use capital to keep product moving and customers supplied. Each of these applications addresses a different point in the purchase-to-collection cycle.

Inventory

Fund Inventory and Purchasing Requirements

Asset-based financing can help maintain stock for expected demand, supporting purchasing from suppliers against eligible inventory and receivables, subject to underwriting.

Collections

Bridge Order Fulfillment and Collection

Support payroll, freight and operating costs while eligible customer invoices remain outstanding, so orders keep shipping while collections arrive.

Growth

Expand Distribution Operations

Where facilities, handling equipment or other assets are eligible, secured financing can support added capacity, new customer relationships or strategic acquisitions.

FINANCING SOLUTIONS

Asset-Based Financing for Distributors and Wholesalers

Great Elm offers financing structures designed to address different capital requirements. Products may be suitable depending on collateral, borrowing needs and underwriting.

Recent Deals

Financing deals that move businesses forward.

Explore our recent financing transactions and discover how we’re helping businesses access the capital they need to grow and succeed.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Distribution Financing FAQs

Learn how asset-based financing can help distributors and wholesalers manage inventory, supplier terms and customer collections.

Eligible inventory can be considered as collateral, depending on the structure and our underwriting review. What qualifies, and how much it supports, depends on the product and how it is valued.

We look at the quality and age of eligible invoices, the creditworthiness of your customers and how concentrated sales are among a few of them. These factors shape how receivables are treated as collateral.

It can be considered. A large order often means buying stock and paying suppliers before the customer pays, and a facility secured by eligible assets can help support that timing, subject to underwriting.

Discuss Financing for Your Distribution Business

Great Elm can evaluate working capital, inventory, equipment and transaction-related financing requirements against your available business assets.

Contact Our Financing Team

Tell us about your business and what you’re looking to finance. A member of our team will follow up to discuss your needs and potential next steps.