Digital signage finance
Fund commercial display screens, players and mounting across a site or an estate, treating a rollout as one project rather than a running cost.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance digital signage?
Yes. Digital signage is a comparatively straightforward technology purchase to finance because commercial displays are physical, substantial and have a resale market, unlike most IT. Agreements are usually hire purchase or lease against the business. Used screens are occasionally funded through AV trade suppliers. The part that is easy to overlook is the content management software: signage only works with a platform driving it, and that licence is a recurring service the funder cannot repossess. A rollout heavy on software and installation will be assessed on your accounts rather than on the screens.
Used kit: Yes, occasionally. Ex-display and refurbished commercial screens are traded by AV suppliers and a small number of funders will consider them, though panel hours and remaining warranty are examined closely.
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What would digital signage cost per month?
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).
How lenders treat it
Signage is at the harder end of the soft-asset spectrum, which I welcome. A commercial-grade display is a real thing with a serial number, it has a trade market, and it is built for continuous operation rather than being a domestic television. I will lend against it more readily than against a room of desktops. The parts I discount are the mounting, the power and data runs to each screen, and the content platform subscription. I also think about location: screens across multiple leased retail units are harder to gather in than screens at a single owned site, and I factor that in. A retailer with solid figures and a clear rollout plan is a straightforward yes.
Makes and models we fund
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 |
|---|---|
| Samsung QMC series displays | Commercial displays for signage networks |
| Samsung QBC series displays | Entry commercial displays for shops |
| Samsung Smart Signage Platform players | Built-in players for signage content |
| LG UHD Signage displays | Commercial screens for retail and offices |
| LG LED signage displays | Fine pitch LED walls for venues |
| Philips Q-Line displays | Professional displays for signage |
| BrightSign XD5 media player | Signage media player for screens |
| BrightSign LS5 media player | Entry media player for single screens |
| Peerless-AV wall mounts | Display mounting and video wall systems |
| Extron signage distribution | Audio visual distribution and switching hardware |
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Who buys one
Retailers replacing printed point-of-sale with screens they can change centrally, quick service restaurants moving to digital menu boards, gyms, dealerships, healthcare waiting areas and corporate receptions. The trigger is often a rebrand, a new store format, or the realisation that reprinting and distributing physical promotional material across many sites costs more each year than screens would. Venues and stadiums also finance signage as part of a wider commercial or sponsorship refresh.
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We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in IT and office equipment.
How it is treated for tax
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.
Digital signage finance questions
Can I finance screens across a chain of stores?
Yes, and multi-site rollouts are welcomed by funders because they represent one planned project rather than piecemeal spending. We will need a schedule listing each location and the equipment going there. Where sites are leased units, expect a few extra questions about tenure, since the funder wants to know where its equipment lives.
Is a commercial display really different from a consumer TV?
Yes, and it matters to a funder as well as to you. Commercial panels are rated for long daily operation, carry proper warranties and support portrait mounting and remote management. A consumer television used in a business setting typically voids its warranty and fails early, which is not the profile an underwriter wants behind an agreement.
Can the content management subscription be funded too?
Where it is bought up front for a set period it can usually be included in the project, though the funder treats it as an unrecoverable service element. Monthly licensing billed by the platform provider generally stays separate. Either way the screens themselves give the application some tangible substance.
What about menu boards in a drive-through?
Outdoor and high-brightness units are fundable in the same way, and they are considerably more substantial pieces of equipment. The installation is heavier too, involving groundwork, weatherproof enclosures and power runs, all of which are unrecoverable. Expect the hardware to help the application and the civil works to be assessed against the business.
How long do businesses usually keep signage screens?
Commercial panels are built for years of continuous service, which is longer than most IT stays useful. That relatively long life is part of why funders are comfortable with the asset. Your own refresh decision will usually be driven by a brand or format change rather than by the screens failing.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
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Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.