Nobody opens a restaurant because they wanted a canopy, but no kitchen opens without one, and the ventilation quote is usually the shock in the fit-out budget.
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Yes, but not usually as classic asset finance. A canopy, its ductwork, fans and odour control are installed into the fabric of the building and cannot be recovered or resold, so most funders class the whole package as a soft cost. That means it is either included as part of a larger equipment facility where cooking kit makes up the bulk of the invoice, or funded separately as an unsecured business loan against your trading. Used canopies are effectively not fundable, since stripping one out destroys most of its value.
Used kit: Rarely. Second-hand canopies are not a meaningful market, because removal damages them and refitting to a different room is rarely economic, so funders treat them as new installation only.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
This is the clearest example of a soft asset in a commercial kitchen. A canopy is fabricated to the dimensions of your room, welded and hung, and the ductwork is fixed through walls and risers, so if the restaurant closes there is nothing a funder can collect that is worth the cost of the van. As a result the decision is a pure credit decision: filed accounts, how long you have traded, bank conduct, director background. Established operators with a few years behind them are funded comfortably. New-starts are the hardest case in the sector. Where ventilation accompanies a substantial cooking equipment order, a good funder will absorb it as soft cost inside the wider facility, which is usually the best outcome available.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Halton Capture Jet canopies | High-efficiency kitchen extract canopies |
| Halton M.A.R.V.E.L. demand control | Demand-based control for kitchen ventilation |
| Britannia Kitchen Ventilation canopies | Bespoke stainless extract canopies |
| Purified Air odour control units | Carbon and ultraviolet odour control |
| Nuaire fans and air handling | Supply and extract fan units |
| Vent-Axia commercial extract fans | Box and inline extract fans |
| Systemair kitchen extract fans | Roof and inline kitchen fans |
| Elta Fans kitchen extract fans | Fan units for canopy systems |
| Woods Air Movement fans | Axial and centrifugal fan units |
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Operators taking a shell unit or converting retail space to A3 use, where there is no existing extract at all, and established restaurants forced into an upgrade by an odour complaint, an environmental health notice or a landlord requiring compliance with current ventilation guidance. Hotels do it during a kitchen refurbishment. The cost is almost always higher than expected because the duct route, the roof penetration and the electrostatic or carbon filtration are priced together.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Often yes, and that is the route we would try first. When the cooking equipment is a substantial part of the invoice, many funders will include a proportion of the ventilation as soft cost rather than send you away for a second facility. The larger the recoverable equipment element, the more installation a funder will carry.
Because it cannot be recovered and resold. It is fabricated to your kitchen, bolted to your ceiling and ducted through your building, and taking it out costs more than the steel is worth. Funders lend against assets they could collect and sell if an agreement failed, so a canopy gives them no security and the lend rests on your accounts.
It is the hardest version of this request. With no trading history and an asset with no recovery value, the funder is writing an unsecured exposure to a business that has never taken money. Personal guarantees, a director with previous operating experience and a clear picture of how the rest of the fit-out is funded are all likely to be required.
It usually forms part of the same ventilation package and is treated the same way. Electrostatic precipitators and carbon filtration are expensive and are increasingly mandated by planning conditions, but they are installed into the duct run and are not recoverable, so they sit on the soft side of the invoice with everything else.
Frequently, yes. Because the asset offers no security, an unsecured business loan assessed on turnover and bank conduct can be quicker and simpler than trying to force a canopy onto an equipment agreement. As an independent broker we look at both and tell you which route your figures actually support.
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