Company Shop Group

What Company Shop Group does

Company Shop Group is the UK's leading and longest-standing redistributor of surplus food and household products, founded over 50 years ago (c. 1973) by John Marren and acquired by Biffa plc in February 2021. The company operates two principal retail brands: Company Shop, a network of 12+ member-only surplus supermarkets selling products at 50-53% off normal retail prices to eligible key workers (NHS, emergency services, FMCG supply chain, armed forces, prison services) and means-tested benefit recipients; and Community Shop, the UK's first social supermarket chain with 16 stores in the bottom 10% of indices of deprivation, offering deeply discounted food combined with Community Hub personal development programmes and Community Kitchen facilities. Together, the business has redistributed over 1 billion surplus items since founding, with 113 million+ items and 28,073 tonnes of surplus saved from waste annually, delivering £139 million in cumulative financial returns to industry partners over the last decade.

The business is built on physical surplus redistribution infrastructure spanning two distribution centres (Barnsley headquarters and Leicester, opened 2021) and a new 73,007 sq ft frozen redistribution centre in Darton, South Yorkshire, coming online in 2026. Processing capabilities include bottle washing (7.8 million units in 3 years), product relabeling (55 million units in 3 years), x-ray/metal detection, and a 100% traceability system from intake through member purchase. The proprietary brand-protection model combines photo ID membership cards, per-member purchase limits, merchandising controls, and approval rights for external marketing to prevent surplus from re-entering the open market.

Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) margin between discounted purchase cost and 50-53% discounted retail price across Company Shop supermarkets; (2) surplus redistribution services to 800+ retailer and manufacturer partners including collection, processing, relabeling, and redistribution, plus fee-for-service offerings such as waste walks and the Surplus Unlocked programme; (3) Community Shop social enterprise store sales, where revenue is reinvested into personal development programmes. Partnerships span major UK FMCG and retail counterparties including McCain, Aldi, M&S, Ocado, Nestlé, Morrisons, COOP, Amazon, Arla, Boots, Bakkavor, Cranswick, and Wilko. The company is BRC AA accredited and has received three Queen's Awards for Enterprise (2015, 2019, 2021), plus £1.96m in DEFRA funding and £4.2m in Lloyds Banking Group Clean Growth Financing Initiative debt funding.

Name

Company Shop Group

Legal name

Company Shop Limited

Website

https://companyshopgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Company Shop Group is the UK's leading redistributor of surplus food and household products, operating member-only Company Shop supermarkets and 16 Community Shop social enterprise stores, processing 113 million+ items annually for over 800 retailer and manufacturer partners as a Biffa plc subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surplus Goods Redistribution

NAICS

Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451), General Merchandise Retailers (455)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399)

akta.pro primary industry

Warehouse-Style Bulk Grocers (Membership/Non-membership) (CRAHAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Overstock & Surplus General Merchandise Retail (CRAEAFAB), Off-Price Department Store Chains (National) (CRAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Surplus food redistribution
• Member-only retail
• Social supermarket
• Food waste reduction
• Circular economy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tankersley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surplus Product Sales: Company Shop purchases surplus stock from retailers and manufacturers at discounted rates and sells products through member-only stores at 50-53% below retail prices. Revenue generated from the margin between purchase cost and retail prices minus member discounts.
2. Surplus Redistribution Services: Provides comprehensive surplus management solutions including collection, processing, relabeling, and redistribution. Receives financial returns from partners for handling their surplus stock.
3. Community Shop Social Enterprise: Donated surplus from partners powers Community Shop social enterprise. Revenue from store sales is reinvested into Community Hub personal development programmes. Donated stock creates sustainable support model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Company Shop Group is the UK's leading redistributor of surplus food and household products. It purchases or receives surplus stock from over 800 retailers and manufacturers, processes it (including bottle washing, relabeling, and x-ray metal detection), and sells it through member-only Company Shop supermarkets at 50-53% off retail prices. It also operates Community Shop, a social enterprise that provides deeply discounted food and personal development support to families in deprived communities.

Product overview

Company Shop Group operates as the UK's leading surplus redistribution organization with two core retail products: Company Shop (member-only surplus supermarkets offering discounted food and household products at 50-53% off retail prices) and Community Shop (award-winning social enterprise providing deeply discounted food access combined with personal development support through Community Hub and Community Kitchen facilities). The company provides comprehensive surplus management services including waste walks, Surplus Unlocked identification programs, innovative processing solutions (bottle washing, x-ray detection, relabeling), and brand protection services. The group operates multiple distribution centres across the UK, including a new 73,007 sq ft frozen redistribution centre in Darton, and serves over 800 brand partners including major retailers and manufacturers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Company Shop Member-only surplus supermarkets selling discounted surplus food and household products sourced from major retailers and manufacturers. Products are typically priced 50-53% off retail prices. Membership is free and restricted to key workers (NHS, social care, emergency services, FMCG supply chain, armed forces, prison services) and those on means-tested benefits.
• Community Shop Award-winning social enterprise operating the UK's first social supermarket chain. Provides deeply discounted food and essentials to families in deprived communities, alongside personal development support through Community Hub and Community Kitchen facilities. 16 stores operate across communities in the bottom 10% of indices of deprivation, supporting tens of thousands of families.
• Waste Walks Site visits to manufacturing and production facilities to help teams identify potential surplus and reduce waste. Conducted by expert teams who work with hundreds of sites across multiple categories for retailer and manufacturer partners.
• Surplus Unlocked In-depth, personalised long-term surplus identification service. Part of waste walk offerings to help partners capture harder-to-reach surplus higher up the supply chain through detailed analysis and strategic partnership.
• Innovative Solutions Processing solutions including bottle washing, x-ray/metal detection, relabeling, and repacking services to transform imperfect surplus into compliant products ready for redistribution.
• Brand Protection Systems and processes to protect brand integrity including 100% product traceability from intake to purchase, photo ID membership cards, purchase limits, brand presentation standards, and approval rights for external marketing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 113+ million items redistributed annually
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McCain FoodscoreOthersMajor food manufacturing partner contributing surplus products for redistribution through Company Shop and Community Shop networks.
• Aldi UKcoreOthersMajor retailer partner providing surplus stock for redistribution through Company Shop Group's network.
• M&ScoreOthersKey retailer partner providing branded surplus products for redistribution, with products regularly featured in Company Shop stores.
• Ocado RetailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner providing surplus stock and capital funding for Community Shop stores through You Give We Give initiative. Ocado Retail has donated over £8m to good causes through this scheme, funding new Community Shop openings including Sunderland and Beechwood.
• NestlécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner supporting Community Shop with surplus donations and specific programmes including Christmas holiday support providing 45,000 families with breakfast items and festive food. Nestlé invested £1 million in summer support programmes.
• MorrisonscoreOthersMajor retailer partner providing surplus stock for redistribution through Company Shop Group's network.
• COOPcoreOthersMajor retailer partner providing surplus stock for redistribution.
• AmazoncoreOthersPartner providing surplus stock for redistribution through Company Shop network.
• ArlacoreOthersDairy company partner providing surplus products for redistribution.
• BootscoreOthersHealth and beauty retailer providing surplus products including health & beauty items for redistribution.
• BakkavorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood manufacturing partner and participant in Luminary Programme mentoring initiative for industry leaders.
• Cranswick PLCcoreOthersFood manufacturing partner providing surplus products for redistribution.
• WRAPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Waste and Resources Action Programme for Food Waste Reduction Roadshow. Company Shop Group hosted IGD & WRAP Food Waste Reduction Roadshow at headquarters. WRAP is a key partner in UK Food Waste Reduction Roadmap with 95 major companies committed.
• IGDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute of Grocery Distribution partnered with Company Shop Group to deliver Food Waste Reduction Roadshow. Joint initiative promoting Target, Measure, Act approach to reducing food waste across UK food and drink sector.
• Chill FactoreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManchester indoor ski slope provided cold storage space during COVID-19 lockdown when UK faced shortage of cold storage capacity. Partnership enabled Company Shop to save thousands of food items from going to waste.
• WilkocoreOthersHome and garden retailer partnered to redistribute health & beauty and confectionery surplus items, preventing products from going to landfill.
• Onward HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial housing provider partnered with Community Shop providing building space free of charge for Community Shop Beechwood and other locations. Third store partnership in North West following success of Halton and Liverpool stores.
• Luminary Programme Partners (Amazon, Bakkavor, Coca-Cola European Partners, Greencore, M&S, Mars, Morrisons, Nestlé, Nomad Foods, Premier Foods, Samworth Brothers, Unilever, Upfield)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst-of-its-kind mentoring programme for industry leaders seeking to deliver step change in intelligent surplus management. Programme mentors future leaders committed to sustainable and social business practices.
• Everton in the CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFootball club's charitable foundation partnered with Community Shop Liverpool Walton Road to generate positive social and economic impact in the community.
• Nestlé PurinaminorOthersPet food donations provided alongside Nestlé's Christmas support programme, ensuring families don't have to choose between feeding themselves or their pets.
• Surplus Supermarkets and Community Shop NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of Company Shop surplus supermarkets and Community Shop social enterprise stores across UK serving members and redistributing frozen food items.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FareShare UK: UK's largest surplus food redistribution charity, redistributing food to community organisations. Directly comparable mission and partner base, though FareShare operates a charity-led model rather than member retail stores.
• FoodCloud: Tech-enabled surplus food redistribution platform connecting retailers and manufacturers to charities in Ireland and UK. Overlap in surplus food redistribution model with technology-led matching capability.
• The Felix Project: London-based surplus food redistribution charity collecting from suppliers and redistributing to frontline charities. Comparable surplus aggregation model with strong retail partner relationships in UK.

Emerging players

• Too Good To Go: Surplus food marketplace app connecting consumers to restaurants and retailers with unsold inventory. Operates in UK and broader Europe with consumer-facing model that partially overlaps with Company Shop's redistribution mission.
• Olio: UK-based food sharing app enabling peer-to-peer surplus food sharing and larger-scale retailer partnerships. Adjacent model with technology-led approach to surplus redistribution.

Others

• Action for Children / Trussell Trust (Foodbank Network): UK's largest food bank network addressing food insecurity through emergency food parcels. Comparable social mission addressing food poverty, though operating a charity donation model rather than commercial redistribution.
• Hubbub Foundation: UK environmental charity running surplus food redistribution and circular economy initiatives. Adjacent in mission though focused on awareness campaigns and smaller-scale programmes.

Broad incumbents

• Iceland Foods: UK frozen food discounter with deep expertise in surplus and own-brand frozen products. Comparable discount UK grocery model and overlapping frozen category capability.
• B&M European Value Retail: UK discount variety retailer offering general merchandise and food at value prices. Comparable discount retail positioning with broad assortment across food and household products.

Regional players

• Refood: Portuguese-based surplus food redistribution charity operating a comparable surplus-to-charity model. Similar operational logic though focused on Portuguese and select international markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/companyshopgroup
• Xx.com/csl_members

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Company Shop Group