Shropshire businesses have created jobs, developed new products and attracted further investment with support from the Small Equipment Grant programme.

That is the message from the final results of Shropshire’s Small Equipment Grant programme 2025/26, which show how targeted investment has continued to help small businesses across the county grow, diversify and invest.

Shropshire business grants unlock jobs and investment

Through Invest in Shropshire, Shropshire Council awarded 34 grants during the grant’s final extension period.

The 2025/26 programme awarded more than £276,000, unlocking a further £344,828 of private-sector investment through businesses’ own contributions towards their projects.

Businesses have reported 18.5 jobs created, 19 new products and 17 new services, while projects have also brought 273 sq m of commercial space back into use.

Small Equipment Grant brings Albrighton premises back into use

The building before renovation

In Albrighton, Shropshire Design Ltd used a £10,000 grant to help develop The Scent Room, its new home-fragrance retail concept in the former Barclays Bank on Station Road.

The building after renovation

The project has brought a long-disused storefront back into public use, 16 years after the bank branch closed.

Shropshire Design has recruited a local apprentice and plans to recruit two further members of staff, meaning the project is expected to support three new roles in total.

Peter Snowdon, co-founder of Shropshire Design, said:

“When we took on the old bank, we could see the potential in a building that had stood unused for so long. Opening the doors of the storefront again is a particularly special moment. We hope it gives people another reason to come into Albrighton, explore the village and support its independent businesses.”

Helping businesses take the next step

Matt Potts, Service Manager for Economy, Funding and Skills at Shropshire Council said:

“A grant of just a few thousand pounds can help unlock jobs, new products or the investment a small business needs to take its next step. It can give a business the confidence to be ambitious, whether by buying equipment, improving its premises, taking on new staff or developing something new.

“All these individual investments add up. This funding has helped our businesses become stronger and more forward-looking, making an important contribution to Shropshire’s economic growth and stability.”

Demand also demonstrated the appetite for this type of business support. Shropshire Council received 179 Expressions of Interest during 2025/26, far exceeding the number of grants available.

Call for continued investment in Shropshire businesses

Cllr Alex Wagner, Deputy Leader of Shropshire Council and Cabinet Member for Transport and Economic Growth, said:

“Shropshire’s businesses have shown exactly what they can do when you give them the right support.

“But businesses in rural areas need a fair opportunity to access funding if we want that progress to continue. We will keep making the case for Shropshire to receive its fair share of future investment. The evidence is here: relatively small amounts of funding can unlock real economic activity, and we want more Shropshire businesses to have that opportunity.”

Notes to Editors

About the Small Equipment Grant

• The Small Equipment Grant formed part of Shropshire Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme and continued during the programme’s 2025/26 extension.
• Capital grants of between £2,000 and £10,000 supported small and medium-sized businesses employing between one and 49 people. Businesses could use the funding to purchase new equipment or improve premises to create jobs or develop new products, processes or services.
• Applicants contributed at least 50% towards the overall cost of their projects.
• The programme also ringfenced a small amount of funding to pilot support for landlords improving high-street retail premises that had stood vacant for 12 months or more, with the aim of bringing them back into commercial use.

About Invest in Shropshire

• Invest in Shropshire promotes Shropshire as a place to invest, locate and grow a business, showcasing the county’s business strengths, locations and opportunities and supporting sustainable economic growth.

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

• The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provided UK Government funding for local investment in communities, businesses and skills. Shropshire received a further allocation for 2025/26, which allowed a number of UKSPF projects and initiatives to continue for an additional year. The programme closed in September 2026.