What Shield Safety Group does

Shield Safety Group (legal entity: Shield Safety Limited) is a UK-based provider of food safety, fire safety, and health and safety software and services, headquartered in Manchester and operating as a private limited company founded circa 2004. The company serves the hospitality sector, including hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, accommodation providers, leisure venues, and food traders, with anchor enterprise customers including Tesco (3,750+ UK stores), Star Pubs & Bars / Heineken (~2,700 sites), Butcombe Group (~100 sites), Staycity (32 locations across five European countries), and Pasta Evangelists (40+ kitchens). Its core product is the RiskProof intelligent software platform, a cloud-based subscription system composed of four modules (Monitoring, Helpline, Registry, and Risk Assessment) that centralises safety checks, incident management, statutory documents, and risk assessments, and is bundled under the Shield Assure brand across five sector variants (Hospitality, Leisure, Accommodation, Food Service, Food Trader).

The company's business model combines recurring software subscriptions (priced per location/site on annual contracts with Minimum Term, automatic renewal, and 5% annual price escalators) with professional services revenue from safety audits, training, fire risk assessments, and consultancy, plus certification fees from its Safe to Trade scheme. Shield Safety positions itself as the first and only UK Safe to Trade certification body, with a formal UKAS ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation application in progress; it employs over 140 professionals, including what it describes as the UK's largest team of Environmental Health Practitioners and 50+ expert auditors aligned to the England Food Law Code of Practice. Distribution is direct sales-led, targeting enterprise and mid-market hospitality operators via field sales, inside sales, and digital demo-request channels, with strategic partnerships spanning Food Standards Scotland, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), and a Primary Authority partnership with Milton Keynes Council. The platform is deployed across 60+ countries and serves 1,300+ certified Food Business Operators, but revenue is not publicly disclosed and growth capital to date has been modest (approximately £1m loan from the Greater Manchester Loan Fund in 2018).

Name

Shield Safety Group

Legal name

Shield Safety Limited

Website

https://shieldsafety.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Shield Safety Group is a UK-based provider of food, fire, and health and safety software and services for the hospitality sector, combining its RiskProof platform, Safe to Trade certification, and Environmental Health Practitioner-led audits and consultancy for hotels, restaurants, pubs, and multi-site operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Health & Safety Compliance Services

akta.pro primary industry

Certification Program Administration & Scheme Management (Standard Owners) (AFALACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pre-Assessment, Gap Assessment & Certification Readiness Services (AFALACAE), Witness Audits, Office Assessments & Certification Governance Services (AFALACAG), Integrated Management System Certification (Food Safety + Quality/Environment/OHS) (AFALACAI)

Keywords

• Hospitality safety compliance
• Food safety auditing
• Fire safety management
• Health and safety training
• Risk management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Shield Assure Software Subscription: Subscription-based access to RiskProof software platform with modules for monitoring, helpline, registry, and risk assessment. Priced per location/site with tiered configurations.
2. Safe to Trade Certification: Independent certification audits (announced and unannounced) providing Safe to Trade approval. Part of integrated Shield Assure solution.
3. Training Services: Face-to-face and e-learning courses across food safety, health & safety, first aid, fire safety, and soft skills. Includes bundles for persons in charge and team members.
4. Safety Audits: Food safety, health & safety, and fire risk assessment audits delivered by qualified Environmental Health Practitioners.
5. Safety Consultancy: Expert consultancy services including ongoing support, account management, and strategic safety guidance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shield Safety Group delivers food safety, fire safety, and health & safety compliance solutions to UK hospitality businesses. Its core offering combines proprietary compliance software (Shield Assure and RiskProof) with on-site audits, accredited training, a Safe to Trade certification scheme, and a 24/7 advice line staffed by qualified Environmental Health Practitioners.

Product overview

Shield Safety Group operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on Shield Assure, a suite of sector-specific safety and compliance solutions. The portfolio includes five Shield Assure variants (Hospitality, Leisure, Accommodation, Food Service, Food Trader), each powered by the RiskProof intelligent software platform. RiskProof provides the core technology with four built-in modules: Monitoring (daily safety checks), Helpline (incident management with EHP access), Registry (document/certification tracking), and Risk Assessment. Additional services include Safe to Trade independent certification, Fire Risk Assessments, Safety Advice Line (24/7 EHP support), and Training courses spanning food safety, health & safety, first aid, and fire safety.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shield Assure: Comprehensive safety and risk management solution for hospitality businesses, combining Safe to Trade certification, RiskProof software, expert support, and strategic insight. Includes sector-specific versions: Hospitality, Leisure, Accommodation, Food Service, and Food Trader.
• RiskProof

Products and services

• Shield Assure Cloud-based compliance management software for UK hospitality operators that centralises food safety, fire safety, and health & safety documentation, audits, and corrective actions across multiple sites.
• RiskProof Property risk management software that helps hospitality operators identify, record, and mitigate property-level risks across their estate.
• Safe to Trade Certification An independent certification scheme awarded to hospitality businesses that meet Shield Safety's defined food safety and operational compliance standards.
• Accredited Safety Training Courses Accredited training courses covering food safety, fire safety, and health & safety, delivered to hospitality staff to meet statutory and brand compliance requirements.
• Safety Advice Line A 24/7 advisory helpline staffed by qualified Environmental Health Practitioners, providing subscribed hospitality clients with on-demand safety guidance and incident support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 minutes per day administrative savings per location (Staycity)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Food Standards ScotlandcoreOthersFood Standards Scotland is the public sector food body for Scotland. They ensure that information on safety, standards and nutrition is independent, consistent and evidence-based. Shield Safety works with FSS to promote food safety standards.
• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)coreOthersCIEH is committed to promoting and upholding the principles, standards and good practice of environmental health to improve and protect the public's health, safety and wellbeing. Shield Safety supports CIEH initiatives and professionals.
• Milton Keynes CouncilcoreOthersPrimary Authority partnership with Milton Keynes Council providing assured and consistent safety advice and guidance to businesses, improving regulatory compliance.
• UKAScoreOthersShield Safety has formally applied for UKAS accreditation to ISO/IEC 17065, the internationally recognised standard for certifying bodies. This will enhance credibility of Safe to Trade certification.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SafetyCulture: Australia-based workplace safety and inspection SaaS platform (iAuditor) used heavily across hospitality and food service for digital checklists, audits and incident management. Most direct software-side peer to RiskProof given overlapping mobile-first inspection workflows and multi-site enterprise customer base.
• RizePoint: US-based quality and safety compliance SaaS focused on hospitality, food service and retail multi-site operators, providing audit management, food safety and brand standard inspections - directly comparable to Shield Assure + RiskProof in customer profile and use case.
• Food Alert: UK food safety and health & safety consultancy serving hospitality and food service operators with audits, training and compliance support - a like-for-like UK specialist peer competing in the same vertical and customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• NSF International: Global food safety certification, auditing and training organisation operating across hospitality, food service and manufacturing; competes with Shield Safety's Safe to Trade certification at the broader, more international end of the market.
• SGS: Global testing, inspection and certification (TIC) major offering food safety audits, certification and training worldwide; represents the incumbent large-scale alternative to Shield Safety's hospitality-focused certification and audit offering.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC company providing food, fire and health & safety certification and audit services across hospitality and real estate; competes with Shield Safety as a broad incumbent with global reach and accredited credentials.
• Intertek: Global TIC group offering food safety audits, certification and compliance services across multiple industries including hospitality; a large incumbent alternative for enterprise buyers evaluating Shield Safety.
• SAI Global: Provider of compliance, risk and EHS software plus certification services to enterprises globally; overlaps with Shield Safety on EHS software functionality and certification-driven compliance workflows in regulated industries.

Others

• Chubb Fire & Security: UK provider of fire safety services, risk assessments and compliance support to commercial and hospitality customers; comparable to Shield Safety's fire risk assessment and integrated fire safety modules as an adjacent provider.
• iHASCO: UK-based provider of e-learning training courses in health & safety, fire safety and food safety for hospitality and care sectors; directly comparable to Shield Safety's training services revenue stream and customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ShieldSafety_
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShieldSafetyGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shield-safety-group

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shield Safety Group