Refurbished IT reseller awarded £600k government-backed loan

Intelligent Servers lands funding from Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund to safeguard 50 jobs and create new roles in the business

North Yorkshire reseller Intelligent Servers has landed £600,000 in government-backed funding which it claims will help expand the business and safeguard its existing workforce.

The Harrogate-based refurbished hardware supplier was awarded the loan by the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).

The NPIF claims to provide £500m in investment to boost small and medium sized businesses in the North of England.

Dell, Cisco and HPE partner Intelligent Servers says the funding will help it to safeguard 50 jobs within the business as well as lead to the creation of 23 more positions.

The loan will also go towards improving Intelligent Servers' purchasing power, facilitate stock growth and expand its warehouse footprint, the firm says.

Founded in 2011, Intelligent Warehouse claims to generate £8m in revenues through selling refurbished hardware to more than 3,000 clients including the BBC, Canon and Manchester United Football Club.

The business claims it saw a 1,600 per cent increase in laptop orders during the Covid pandemic due to a rise in remote working. The firm claims that it grew its headcount by 50 per cent during the pandemic as a result of increased demand.

Intelligent Servers managing director Andrew Hughes said that demand for cheaper and more affordable IT has made refurbished hardware "highly desirable".

"We include our own bespoke three year hardware replacement warranty and our three year remote setup and support service with all our products, along with savings of up to 80 per cent available. This funding will allow us to grow and deliver our exceptional service to more customers while supporting us to create 23 exciting new positions at our company," he added.

The loan was facilitated by FW Capital's deputy fund manager Keith Charlton and was supported by assistant investment executive Alex Brown. FW Capital provides loans of up to £750,000 to businesses in the NPIF region, focusing on the North West, Cumbria and Tees Valley.

"We are delighted to back Intelligent Servers, a business with a great track record of growth and a proven management team. Our investment will assist Intelligent Servers in achieving their growth strategy through maintaining higher stock levels and improving purchasing power. Best of all, this growth strategy will support significant job creation," said Brown.