A Ealing -based company which charges 500,000 phones a year has set its sights on expansion after raising over £374,190 through crowd funding.

ChargeBox, founded in 2005 by CEO Ian Hobson, began life from its offices on Bollo Lane, Chiswick , in a bid to offer mobile phone charging in lockers.

The boxes can be found in shopping centres across the UK, including Westfield in White City and Ealing Broadway Shopping centre, as well as universities, airports and conferences stretching 12 countries around the world.

Mr Hobson said: "Since we started 10 years ago we have grown tremendously, trebling our revenues since 2012, and expect to grow further both nationally and internationally.

"Our market is truly global with smartphones the fastest-adopted technology of all time worldwide.

"Add to this the current proliferation of tablets and other recent developments such as wearables, plus the ever increasing number of apps people access from their mobile devices, and you can see how opportunities to provide free charging to shoppers, travellers, or conference goers are almost endless."

The service first became free across the majority - around 90% - of its services in 2012, just in time for the London 2012 Olympics.

It claims to charge five million phones a year.

Now in an attempt offer more free charging for the public, ChargeBox has launched a crowd funding campaign to raise equity through website. Crowdcube and have so far raised £374,190 from a target of £500,000 before its December 24 deadline.

Mr Hobson continued: "We believe we have a strong proposition and we are therefore excited to launch the crowd funding campaign to give individual investors the opportunity to own a stake in the company and support our vision of free charging everywhere."

ChargeBox currently employs around 26 people at its offices and it is hoped by Hobson that an additional four members will be added to the team in the new year.

He added that the business had thrived because of a term called "nomophobia," used to describe anxiety among shoppers when their phones are running low on battery.

According to Mr Hobson, shoppers will buy substantially less when they are anxious hence why shopping centres have taken a keen interest in working with Chargebox.

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