TLKE: Jewellery business continues to shine with UKEF support

Founded in 2012, TLKE is a West London jewellery firm that works with a range of international brands to distribute quality, branded jewellery into the UK and wider European market. It works with designers including Ralph Lauren and DKNY, and supplies household names such as House of Fraser, Fenwick, and Ernest Jones.

The challenge

A cornerstone of TLKE’s business model is letters of credit with its supplier in the US, allowing it to bring in and sell the stock before they need to submit payment. However, as the pandemic hit, TLKE almost lost the ability to underwrite letters of credit, meaning it was at risk of either losing its stock or taking on significant amounts of debt without more flexible financing.

The solution

We provided access to the financing TLKE needed under our General Export Facility, allowing the business to protect its relationship with its supplier. We worked with TLKE’s bank, HSBC, to provide an 80% guarantee on a £300,000 finance package, helping TLKE maintain security in uncertain times.

The impact

Four years after that first General Export Facility, TLKE continues thriving. The firm’s success has attracted a wide range of high-value partnerships, which has enabled TLKE to scale up the range of retailers it supplies in the UK and EMEA, while headcount at its Kew-based office has grown in line with the company’s vision for its future, with plans for expansion and diversification in the pipeline.