Booths
Booths is a family-owned British supermarket chain founded in 1847, operating 28 stores across Northern England specialising in locally sourced fresh food, specialist counters, and premium regional produce for affluent UK consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1847
- HeadquartersPreston, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Booths does
Booths, legally E.H. Booth & Co. Limited, is a family-owned British supermarket chain founded in 1847 by Edwin Henry Booth and headquartered in Preston, Lancashire. The company operates 28 physical stores concentrated in Northern England across Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria and Yorkshire — a region it markets as 'Booths Country.' Its model is built around specialist fresh-food counters (butcher, fishmonger, cheesemonger, delicatessen, hot food, bakery) staffed by trained experts, alongside locally sourced produce, premium British meat, an extensive 100+ cheese range, and a licensed department featuring regional breweries and distilleries.
The company generates revenue predominantly through traditional grocery and fresh-food retail transactions across its store network, augmented by in-store dining at Café 1847, online food and gift ordering, and a nationwide flower delivery service (Flowers by Booths). Pricing is supported by the Booths Card loyalty programme, which offers instant savings on 300+ products, multi-buy wine discounts and monthly prize draws. Distribution is primarily physical store-based, with selective click-and-collect and Amazon Locker integrations providing incremental reach. Booths Card loyalty programme mechanics, win-back campaigns and seasonal promotions form the core of customer retention.
The underlying technology stack is conventional retail rather than proprietary: standard e-commerce front-ends for ordering, flowers and gifts, no disclosed AI, no API/SDK, and no integration or data-asset disclosures. Distribution partnerships include Rafi's Spicebox concessions, ByRuby ready meals, Lovingly Artisan bakery, Petal & Twig florists, Morecambe Bay Chowder Co., Amazon Lockers, and complementary adjacent tenants such as Loom Loft. Charity and community commitments include Cure Leukaemia, local food banks (£40,000 annually) and store-level charity partnerships. The company operates with a workforce of 1,001–5,000 employees and remains privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or external funding.
Booths firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Booths
- Legal name
- E.H. Booth & Co. Limited
- Website
- https://booths.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1847
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Booths is a family-owned British supermarket chain founded in 1847, operating 28 stores across Northern England specialising in locally sourced fresh food, specialist counters, and premium regional produce for affluent UK consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Booths industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Supermarket Grocery Retail
- NAICS
- Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451), Food and Beverage Retailers (445), Specialty Food Retailers (4452)
- SIC
- Retail-Food Stores (5400), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Supermarket Operators with In-Store Foodservice/Prepared Foods Focus (CRAHAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Fresh Food Retail Counters (In-Store Butcher/Fish/Produce Counters) (CRAHAHAH)
Keywords
Where Booths is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Preston
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices26 records
Markets served
Booths business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail grocery sales: Traditional supermarket revenue from selling groceries, fresh produce, and food products across 28 physical store locations. Includes private label Booths brand products.
- Café and dining services: Revenue from Café 1847 in-store restaurants serving food and beverages.
- Loyalty program revenue: Booths Card loyalty program drives repeat purchases through instant savings, exclusive offers, and prize draws.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Booths Card instant savings |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Wine offer - 10% off 4+ bottles |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Scan to win monthly prize draw |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Booths product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Booths operates 28 supermarkets across Northern England (Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Yorkshire) selling fresh British food and drink with an emphasis on locally sourced seasonal produce. Stores feature specialist counters staffed by butchers, fishmongers, cheesemongers, and delicatessen staff, alongside in-store Café 1847 dining and the Booths Card loyalty programme offering instant savings and prize draws.
Product overview
Booths is a traditional UK supermarket chain founded in 1847, operating 28 stores across Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria, and Yorkshire. The company offers a unified retail experience combining physical stores with digital services. The core offering centers on specialist fresh food counters (butcher, fishmonger, cheesemonger, delicatessen, hot food, bakery) complemented by a loyalty program (Booths Card), in-store dining (Café 1847), online ordering services (Food to Order, Gifts by Booths), and a flower delivery service. The Booths Card loyalty program provides instant savings, wine discounts, and prize draws across the store network. Additional services include Amazon Lockers at select locations and various click-and-collect partnerships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Booths Card Free loyalty programme offering cardholder instant savings on 300+ products, 10% off wine when buying 4+ bottles, monthly Scan to Win prize draws of £200 in Booths vouchers, birthday treats, and early event booking access.
- Café 1847 In-store upscale café concept serving a seasonal menu built around Booths' local produce, featuring Morecambe Bay Chowder Co., Little Foodies children's menu, and specialty Donas Do Café single-origin coffee; operates at Hesketh Bank, Clitheroe, and Knutsford stores.
- Flowers by Booths Nationwide flower delivery service offering boutique blooms for various occasions.
- Food to Order Online food ordering service for click & collect from local Booths stores.
- Gifts by Booths Online gift ordering service offering various Booths-curated gifts for occasions.
- Butcher Counter In-store specialist meat counter offering fresh British beef, lamb, and pork sourced from Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, and Cumbria, including Herdwick and Saltmarsh lamb, game in season, and freshly prepared ready-to-cook dishes.
- Cheesemonger Counter In-store specialist cheese counter featuring approximately 100 territorial British and European cheeses including Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire, Wensleydale, and Spanish Montenebro.
- Fruit & Veg Counter In-store fresh produce counter sourcing from local suppliers including Brian Ascroft's cherry tomatoes, Sean Mallinson's dug-today potatoes, and Peter Ascroft's cauliflowers.
- Beer & Cider Counter Specialist beer and cider counter featuring hundreds of varieties including local breweries Hawkshead Brewery, Bowland Brewery, Ilkley Brewery, and Weetwood Ales.
- Wines & Spirits Licensed department featuring Booths own-label wine range, premium spirits including Lakes Distillery whisky and vodka, Cuckoo Gin from Brindle Distillery, and Harrogate Tipple gins.
Companies that use Booths
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Booths technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Booths partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Rafi's SpiceboxcoreAward-winning family-run Indian food business providing bespoke, handmade curry mixes. Concessions operate in multiple Booths stores (Burscough, Knutsford, Clitheroe, Windermere, Ilkley, Lytham). Customers choose from 50+ recipes with spices hand-blended fresh to order at preferred heat strength. Partnership emphasizes local community values shared by both family-run businesses.
- Amazon LockersminorPartnership with Amazon for parcel delivery and collection services. Amazon Lockers installed at select Booths store locations (e.g., Hesketh Bank) enabling customers to pick up or drop off Amazon parcels.
- ByRubyminorHandmade, award-winning ready meals available from Booths freezers at select stores including Windermere.
- Morecambe Bay Chowder Co.coreWinner of Booths Accelerator programme in 2022. Hand-crafted chowder business using locally sourced ingredients from Morecambe Bay. Expanded into Café 1847 locations at Clitheroe and Knutsford following accelerator programme.
- Loom LoftminorFamily-owned Lancashire furniture and home décor business occupying adjoining retail unit at Booths Lytham store. Store opened March 2025 as Loom Loft's 5th location, sharing Booths' values of supporting local county heritage.
- Lovingly ArtisanminorAward-winning Cumbrian bakers supplying fresh pastries and sourdough loaves daily to Booths Scotforth store's first-ever bakery wall.
- Petal & TwigminorCelebrated local florists selling sustainably sourced, local and British-grown seasonal flowers from concession stand in Booths Longton store. Daily restocking with florist on-site Fridays-Saturdays.
- Cure LeukaemiacoreNational cancer charity. Booths colleagues participate in annual London 2 Paris cycling challenge to fundraise. Discovery Bag charity sales (£50 each, worth £100) donated to charity.
- PenniesminorCharity collection scheme allowing customers to donate small amounts at checkout. Booths participates in Pennies partnership for in-store charitable donations.
- Local Food BankscoreOngoing commitment to donate £40,000 annually to foodbanks. In-store foodbank donation points available. Former 5% reward voucher donations now contributed directly by Booths.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Booths competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Waitrose & Partners: UK premium supermarket chain owned by the John Lewis Partnership, with a similar focus on quality, provenance, own-label and in-store counters. Closest direct analogue to Booths' premium, counter-led Northern England proposition.
- Marks & Spencer (M&S Food): UK premium food retailer with strong own-brand, in-store counters, prepared foods and a café/dining offer — directly comparable to Booths' counter-led, own-brand-led premium grocery model.
Broad incumbents
- Aldi: Hard-discount grocer expanding aggressively across Northern England. Key competitive threat to Booths on price, particularly during cost-of-living pressure.
- Sainsbury's: One of the UK's 'big four' full-line supermarkets. Competes with Booths for general grocery spend but lacks Booths' specialist counter depth and regional provenance narrative.
- Tesco: UK's largest grocery retailer. Competes across price, range and convenience; its Finest range overlaps with Booths' premium positioning but the broader proposition is mass-market.
- Lidl: Hard-discount grocer with a growing UK premium-tier 'Lidl Plus' and Deluxe range. Competes with Booths at the value end and increasingly at the premium end.
- Morrisons: UK full-line supermarket with a strong Northern England footprint and Market Street counters (butcher, fishmonger, baker). Direct competitive overlap in Booths' core geography with a similar counter-led heritage.
Emerging players
- Farmhouse Fare: Independent regional food retailer/deli operator in the North of England. Smaller scale but comparable on local-sourcing, artisan credentials and counter-led retail experience.
- Bayley & Sage: Boutique fine food and deli retailer with a Northern English presence (and London). Comparable to Booths on premium/artisan positioning and specialist counter assortment, though at a much smaller footprint.
Regional players
- The Co-op: Large UK convenience and grocery operator with strong presence in the North of England. Overlaps with Booths on local/community positioning but at a value rather than premium tier.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Booths social profiles
Digital presenceBooths financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Booths leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Booths funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Booths M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Booths
What does Booths do?
Booths operates 28 supermarkets across Northern England (Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Yorkshire) selling fresh British food and drink with an emphasis on locally sourced seasonal produce. Stores feature specialist counters staffed by butchers, fishmongers, cheesemongers, and delicatessen staff, alongside in-store Café 1847 dining and the Booths Card loyalty programme offering instant savings and prize draws.
Is Booths a public or private company?
Booths is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Booths founded?
Booths was founded in 1847. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Booths based?
Booths is headquartered in Preston, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Booths make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail grocery sales are the primary driver. The others are café and dining services and loyalty program revenue.
Who are Booths's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Waitrose & Partners and Marks & Spencer (M&S Food). Broad incumbents are Aldi, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Lidl and Morrisons. Emerging players are Farmhouse Fare and Bayley & Sage. The Co-op is listed as a regional player.
Does Booths have an API?
No public API is recorded for Booths.
What industry is Booths in?
Booths's product category is Supermarket Grocery Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAAAJ, Supermarket Operators with In-Store Foodservice/Prepared Foods Focus, with a secondary code of CRAHAHAH, Fresh Food Retail Counters (In-Store Butcher/Fish/Produce Counters). Its NAICS code is 4451 and its SIC code is 5400.