Greater Manchester Combined Authority invests £1m in Little Black Dress

Little Black Dress are a ladies fashion brand specialising in occasion wear retailing both on-line and through boutiques across the country.  The business has demonstrated good traction with significant sales growth over the last year since its official launch in October 2014.  The investment from the GMCA through its Investment Fund will help to support the growth of Little Black Dress’s existing ranges and create new jobs. 

Mark Evans, CEO of Little Black Dress said, ‘The loan Capital from the GMCA will enable us to accelerate our business plans, and position Little Black Dress as the 'go-to' premium occasion wear brand on-line. As a relatively new brand, it's sometimes difficult to secure traditional financial funding, so the GMCA facility is a great fit.  Designed to encourage job creation in Manchester, the GMCA facility will now enable us to recruit 'the great talent' to drive us forward with pace- creating new jobs in digital, creative and E- commerce in Manchester in the next two years."

Councillor Kieran Quinn, GMCA Lead member for Investment, Strategy and Finance said, ‘In my view this is exactly what the Combined Authority is about – being an enabler for growth and investment in the region. We all know that Greater Manchester is a great place to live, work and invest, but sometimes there are barriers that stop firms from doing as much as they would like. The Greater Manchester Investment Fund breaks down those barriers and leads to the creation of more jobs and growth for the people and businesses of Greater Manchester.’