Lincolnshire Co-op

What Lincolnshire Co-op does

Lincolnshire Co-operative Limited is a member-owned retail cooperative registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, headquartered in Lincoln, United Kingdom. Founded in 1869, it operates more than 200 sites across Lincolnshire and surrounding counties (Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire), employing over 2,770 people. The business spans seven core service divisions: food retail (convenience grocery including Love Local and Free From ranges), pharmacy (NHS dispensing plus Pharmacy First, vaccinations, travel clinic, podiatry), travel agency (with ABTA/ATOL protection), funeral services (including pre-paid plans and the South Lincolnshire Crematorium), florist, post offices, and a commercial property portfolio of nearly 600 properties including the Cornhill Quarter, Riverside Centre, and Lincoln Science and Innovation Park.

The underlying technology stack is conventional retail infrastructure: self-service checkouts, electronic shelf edge labels for real-time pricing, NHS Electronic Prescription Service integration at pharmacies, and a proprietary dividend card mobile app that delivers cashback and member communications. No AI/ML, data platform, or proprietary software differentiation is described. Distribution is primarily through owned physical storefronts, supplemented by delivery partnerships with Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo for online grocery orders.

Revenue is generated through transaction-based food and retail sales, NHS pharmacy contracts and private service fees, travel booking transaction fees, one-off funeral service payments supplemented by multi-year pre-paid plan subscriptions, post office transaction fees, and recurring rental income from the commercial property portfolio. Members receive dividend cashback on purchases rather than equity returns, and profits are reinvested locally through community programmes and charitable support. The cooperative is governed by a Board elected by members and has no external parent or private equity owner. As of the first half of the current financial year, the company reported a 1.2% turnover decline and a 35% EBITDA drop, has launched a business transformation programme, and is consulting on 79 role reductions and divestitures of non-core property assets.

Name

Lincolnshire Co-op

Legal name

Lincolnshire Co-operative Limited

Website

https://lincolnshire.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1869

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Lincolnshire Co-op is a member-owned retail cooperative operating 200+ sites across Lincolnshire and surrounding UK counties, serving local communities through food retail, pharmacy, travel, funeral, florist, post office, and commercial property divisions under a dividend cashback membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer cooperative retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (445110), Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451), Mobile Food Services (722330)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Stakeholder Grocery Cooperatives (CRAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Co-ops with Online Ordering & Pickup/Delivery (CRAHALAH)

Keywords

• Consumer cooperative retail
• Community pharmacy services
• Funeral services
• Travel agency services
• Commercial property management

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Retail: Sale of groceries, convenience foods, fresh produce, and household items through food stores across Lincolnshire. Revenue generated from in-store purchases with member dividend cashback benefit.
2. Pharmacy Services: NHS pharmacy services including prescription dispensing, Pharmacy First services, health checks, flu vaccinations, and private services. Revenue from NHS contracts and private service fees.
3. Travel Agency: Travel booking services including overseas holidays, cruises, escorted tours through branches and financial protection via ABTA and ATOL.
4. Funeral Services: Funeral arrangement and execution services including pre-paid funeral plans, with facilities across Lincolnshire.
5. Post Office Services: Postal services, currency exchange, car tax, banking services, and parcel collection operating within co-op stores.
6. Property Portfolio: Commercial property holdings including retail parks, shopping centres, industrial units, and the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park generating rental income.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lincolnshire Co-op operates a member-owned retail and service cooperative delivering groceries and convenience food through 200+ stores, NHS and private pharmacy services, travel booking, funeral and crematorium services, floristry, post office counters, and a commercial property portfolio that includes retail parks, shopping centres, and the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park. Members receive cashback on purchases through the dividend card programme, with surplus reinvested locally rather than distributed to external shareholders.

Product overview

Lincolnshire Co-op is a member-owned retail cooperative operating a diversified portfolio of seven core service divisions: Food Stores (convenience grocery retail), Pharmacy (NHS and private health services), Travel (travel agency), Funeral Services, Florist, Post Offices, and Property. The Food division includes in-store services such as Costa Express coffee machines, Costa Express machines, lottery, PayPoint, Collect+, Amazon Locker, InPost Locker, Just Eat collection/delivery, and UberEATS delivery. The cooperative also offers a Membership/Dividend Card loyalty program providing cashback on purchases. Supporting brand ranges include the Love Local Range (locally sourced Lincolnshire products) and Free From Range (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan products). The Property division manages major development projects including the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park, Cornhill Quarter urban regeneration, and Mosaic Digital Hub co-working space. The cooperative employs more than 2,770 people across more than 200 sites throughout Lincolnshire and surrounding counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cornhill Quarter: A major urban regeneration project rejuvenating the area around Sincil Street, City Square and the Corn Exchange in Lincoln city centre.
• Lincoln Science and Innovation Park
• Mosaic Digital Hub
• Riverside Centre
• South Lincolnshire Crematorium
• The Spire Coffee Shop

Products and services

• Food Stores Convenience food retail offering fresh produce, meal deals, hot food-to-go, bakery items, Free From range, plant-based range, and Love Local products from local Lincolnshire producers, sold across 200+ stores in Lincolnshire and surrounding counties with online delivery via Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo.
• Pharmacy Services NHS and private pharmacy services including prescription dispensing, Pharmacy First services, contraception, electronic prescription service, free blood pressure checks, flu vaccinations, stop smoking services, mental health support, travel clinic, podiatry, and healthy heart checks, delivered across multiple pharmacy branches.
• Travel Agency Services Travel agency services offering overseas holidays, cruise bookings, escorted tours, National Express bookings, Bureau de Change, travel money cards, and travel insurance, with ABTA and ATOL financial protection, delivered through dedicated travel branches.
• Funeral Services Full-service funeral operations including arrangement offices, Chapel of Rest, catering suites, pre-paid funeral plans, direct cremation options, floral tributes, memorial masonry, funeral stationery, and use of the South Lincolnshire Crematorium, delivered across Lincolnshire.
• Florist Services Flower arrangement and gifting services including flowers for all occasions, flower subscription service, corporate flowers, wedding flowers, and bespoke funeral and memorial flowers.
• Post Office Services Postal and financial services including parcel posting, Drop and Go, Local Collect, Bureau de Change, travel money cards, car tax, business banking, personal banking, Check and Send passport service, and ID document checking, operated from counters within food stores.
• Property Services Commercial property development and management including shops, offices, industrial units, healthcare premises, residential properties, retail parks, and major development projects such as the Cornhill Quarter, Lincoln Science and Innovation Park, Mosaic Digital Hub, and Riverside Centre, generating rental income from a portfolio of nearly 600 commercial assets.
• South Lincolnshire Crematorium Crematorium facility set in 11 acres of landscaped grounds near Surfleet, offering chapel services, flower court, book of remembrance, memorial lawn, visual tributes, music, webcasts, and memorial range, owned and operated by South Lincolnshire Crematorium Limited.
• Membership and Dividend Card Programme Member-owned cooperative membership providing cashback on purchases through the dividend card, access to exclusive member offers, competitions, votes and polls, members' meetings, share accounts, and double cashback on Love Local range products, accessible through a dedicated mobile app.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members receive cashback on purchases through dividend card programme
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wykeland GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner for Waterside Shopping Centre in Lincoln. Lincolnshire Co-op transferred full ownership of the centre to Wykeland Group as part of property portfolio restructuring. Previously co-owned the shopping centre with Wykeland.
• University of LincolncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to build and operate the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park (LSIP). Lincolnshire Co-op joined forces with the university to create world-class laboratories and research facilities. Includes the Joseph Banks Laboratories housing the School of Pharmacy, School of Life Sciences, and new School of Chemistry. Co-op pharmacists teach on pharmacy courses and provide work experience opportunities.
• Banks Long & CominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProperty agents acting on behalf of Lincolnshire Co-op for commercial property lettings and management, including the Cornhill Quarter and Riverside Centre developments.
• LindumminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction firm partnered with Lincolnshire Co-op for the Cornhill Quarter redevelopment project in Lincoln city centre.
• Lincolnshire County CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership to develop the Mosaic digital hub - a co-working space for digital businesses in Lincoln city centre. Lincolnshire County Council worked with Lincolnshire Co-op and the digital community to create the facility.
• One You LincolnshireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with One You Lincolnshire to support stop smoking services at Lincolnshire Co-op pharmacies. The 12-week stop smoking programme offers participants four times higher chance of quitting successfully with follow-up support and nicotine replacement therapy.
• ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents)coreTechnology or IntegrationTravel industry financial protection body providing ABTA bonding for all holidays booked through Lincolnshire Co-op travel branches, ensuring customer money protection.
• ATOL (Air Travel Organisers' Licence)coreTechnology or IntegrationCivil Aviation Authority scheme providing financial protection for air travel bookings made through Lincolnshire Co-op travel branches.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Scotmid Co-operative: Scottish regional co-operative operating food retail, funeral services, and post offices. Comparable member-owned co-op structure, but serves Scotland rather than Lincolnshire so does not directly compete geographically.
• Southern Co-op: Regional UK co-operative operating food stores and funeral services across southern England. Comparable co-op operating model, but different geographic footprint from Lincolnshire Co-op.

Broad incumbents

• Dignity plc: UK-wide funeral services operator competing with Lincolnshire Co-op's funeral division. Comparable as a national-scale provider of funeral services, pre-paid plans, and crematoria.
• Morrisons: One of the UK's largest grocery retailers with broad food, pharmacy, and convenience operations. Comparable as a UK grocery competitor overlapping with Lincolnshire Co-op's food retail division, though much larger and publicly listed.
• LloydsPharmacy (or Bestway Pharmacy): National pharmacy chain competing with Lincolnshire Co-op's pharmacy division for NHS contracts, prescription dispensing, and Pharmacy First services.

Direct peers

• East of England Co-operative Society: Regional UK co-operative serving Suffolk, Norfolk, and surrounding counties with food retail, funeral services, pharmacies, and travel. Comparable as a regional member-owned co-op with adjacent geographic and operating model similarity.
• Central England Co-operative: Mid-sized regional UK co-operative operating food stores, funeral homes, and travel branches across the Midlands. Directly comparable regional co-op peer with similar member dividend structure and multi-service portfolio.
• The Co-operative Group: The UK's largest consumer co-operative, operating food retail, funerals, insurance, legal services, and pharmacies. Directly comparable as a member-owned co-op with multi-service community offering, though significantly larger and nationally diversified.
• Heart of England Co-operative Society: Mid-sized regional UK co-operative operating food retail, funeral services, and travel across the West Midlands and Warwickshire. Closely comparable regional co-op with similar service mix and member dividend programme.
• Midcounties Co-operative: Regional UK co-operative serving Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands with food stores, pharmacies, post offices, funeral care, travel, and energy services. Closest comparable in size and operating model to Lincolnshire Co-op.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/lincolnshirecoop
• Facebookfacebook.com/lincolnshirecoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lincolnshire-cooperative
• Instagraminstagram.com/lincscoop
• Xx.com/lincscoop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Lincolnshire Co-op