STACK

What STACK does

STACK, operated by The Hold Group Limited, is a UK-based leisure venue operator that creates container-based modular entertainment and dining destinations. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, the company transforms underused urban retail and high-street sites into multi-floor community hubs featuring independent street food traders, company-operated bars, live entertainment stages, large-format digital screens, and dedicated gaming areas (via its Sideshow sub-brand in Lincoln and Newcastle). The flagship Newcastle venue operates 8 bars and 8 street food units; STACK Seaburn has attracted more than 2.5 million visitors since 2020. STACK runs 15+ venues either operational or in development across the UK, including sites in Seaburn, Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, St James' Park, Durham, Bishop Auckland, Carlisle, Whitley Bay, Northampton, Sheffield, Manchester, and Leeds.

The core technology is the proprietary container-based modular construction system using repurposed shipping containers arranged across multiple floors with central plaza areas. Customer-facing technology is largely third-party-powered: the STACK Mobile App (iOS/Android) for food ordering, loyalty points, and rewards runs on Zonal's EPOS platform with Braintree payment processing. Ticketing is via Ticket Tailor and Buy Tickets; corporate bookings use Design My Night; gift cards run on Toggle; CRM and email use Airship; guest feedback uses 125 Insights. There is no in-house AI/ML capability disclosed.

Revenue is diversified across multiple streams: direct bar sales (largest single stream), rental income from leasing street food and lifestyle units to independent traders, ticketed live events and sport screenings, corporate and private venue hire, gift cards, OOH digital advertising and sponsorship sales (managed by a dedicated Head of Advertising & Sponsorship), and the STACK Rewards loyalty programme (1 point per £1 spent, 200 points = £10 bar credit). The customer base spans four segments — local consumer footfall, independent traders as commercial tenants, corporate and group bookers, and brand advertisers — with no single enterprise customer representing material concentration. Growth is funded by a 2024 investment from Kings Park Capital (amount undisclosed), with capital deployed into venue pipeline expansion including a flagship Newcastle rebuild, Leeds Kirkgate Market (2026), Manchester (Hatch rebrand, 2025), and Sheffield (Spring 2025).

Name

STACK

Legal name

The Hold Group Limited

Website

https://stackleisure.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

STACK is a UK leisure venue operator that runs container-based mixed-use hubs featuring street food, bars, live entertainment, and gaming across 15+ UK locations. It serves urban consumers, corporate clients, brand advertisers, and independent food traders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leisure Venue Operations

NAICS

Mobile Food Services (72233), Amusement and Theme Parks (71311)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Truck & Mobile Catering Coordination (HSACAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Trailers & Towable Kitchens (THAFAHAB), Festival, Fair & Event Mobile Concessions (THAFAHAI)

Keywords

• Container leisure venues
• Street food halls
• Hospitality and bars
• Live entertainment venues
• Event ticketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bar Sales: STACK operates its own bars serving draft and bottled beer, cider, wine, spirits, cocktails, soft drinks and zero alcoholic options. Each venue has multiple bars (e.g., 8 bars at Newcastle). Revenue from alcohol and beverage sales represents a core revenue stream, with customers required to be 18+ for alcohol purchases.
2. Street Food Vendor Rentals: STACK leases exclusive units to independent street food traders. Traders operate their own businesses within STACK venues, paying rental fees. Each venue hosts multiple street food units (e.g., 8 street food units plus coffee shop at Newcastle, 10 planned for Leeds).
3. Event Ticketing: STACK hosts ticketed events including live music, sport screenings, and entertainment. Ticketing handled through platforms like Ticket Tailor and Buy Tickets. Non-refundable ticket policy except for event cancellation by STACK.
4. Corporate and Private Bookings: STACK offers table bookings, group bookings, and corporate venue hire with drinks packages and reserved areas. Deposits are non-refundable. Pre-ordered drinks packages require full payment at booking.
5. Gift Cards: STACK sells gift cards usable at any STACK bar, coffee shop or street food trader. Gift cards expire 1 year from purchase date or last top-up date. Special promotions like STACK Friday Gift Card (£50 for £40) drive sales.
6. Advertising and Sponsorship: STACK offers OOH advertising opportunities including digital screens, venue signage, event sponsorships, and brand activations. Contact: Liam Carty, Head of Advertising & Sponsorship.
7. STACK Rewards Redemption: Loyalty programme where earned credit can only be redeemed at STACK bars for drink purchases, encouraging repeat visits and customer retention.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

STACK is a UK operator of container-style mixed-use leisure venues, each housing own-operated bars, independent street food traders, large digital screens and live entertainment stages in central plazas. The venues function as walk-in community hubs combining bar service, food, ticketed events, and a loyalty programme, monetising through bar sales, trader leases, ticket sales, corporate/private hire, gift cards and Out-of-Home digital advertising.

Product overview

STACK is a leisure venue operator running container-style community hubs across the UK. The portfolio includes STACK Seaburn, STACK Lincoln, St James STACK, STACK Middlesbrough, STACK Newcastle, STACK Wigan, STACK Durham, STACK Bishop Auckland, STACK Carlisle, STACK Whitley Bay, STACK Northampton, STACK Sheffield, STACK Manchester, and STACK Leeds (under development). Each venue features independent street food traders, bars operated by STACK, live entertainment, and the STACK App for ordering and loyalty rewards. STACK Rewards is the loyalty program offering point-based rewards redeemable at bars. Sideshow gaming areas provide interactive entertainment options. The company also offers OOH advertising opportunities for brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STACK App STACK's proprietary iOS and Android mobile application enabling consumers to order food at venues, collect loyalty points, access exclusive offers and receive event information.
• STACK Rewards Loyalty Programme STACK's standalone loyalty programme where consumers earn 1 point per £1 spent across STACK venues and redeem 200 points for £10 credit usable at STACK bars, with additional perks including birthday discounts and a 10th-coffee-free YOLO reward.
• Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising and Sponsorship A B2B service sold to brands and agencies, providing high-definition digital screen advertising, venue signage, event sponsorships and brand activation opportunities across STACK's UK venues with high footfall and engaged audiences.
• Sideshow Gaming Venue Sideshow is STACK's branded interactive gaming area offering darts, shuffleboard and karaoke booths, positioned as a pay-and-play entertainment offering within venues such as STACK Lincoln.
• STACK Gift Cards STACK-branded digital and physical gift cards sold via the Toggle platform that can be redeemed at any STACK bar, coffee shop or street food trader, valid for 1 year from purchase or last top-up date.
• Street Food Trader Unit Leasing A B2B service through which STACK leases exclusive container units to independent street food traders, bar operators, coffee shops and lifestyle retailers (e.g., barber shops, vintage clothing) within each of its UK venues.
• Live Entertainment and Ticketed Events Ticketed live entertainment, music, themed events and sports screenings hosted inside STACK venues (including FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcast screenings), distributed through Ticket Tailor and Buy Tickets platforms.
• Corporate and Private Venue Hire A B2B service offering table bookings, group bookings and full corporate/private venue hire with reserved areas and pre-paid drinks packages (e.g., the Hot Honey Date Night experience at £40 deposit per couple).

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 2.5 million visitors at STACK Seaburn since opening in 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Leeds City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2025Leeds City Council selected STACK as preferred operator for Kirkgate Market venue following a 10-month selection process. The partnership involves STACK constructing and operating a container-style leisure hub at the outdoor market. STACK pays construction costs; rental payments generate new income stream for the council. Development expected to create 160 jobs and boost footfall.
• Zonal (EPOS and App Food Ordering)coreTechnology or IntegrationZonal provides STACK's EPOS system and powers the STACK App food ordering and loyalty platform. Zonal's technology enables customer ordering, payment processing, and loyalty rewards integration.
• Design My NightcoreTechnology or IntegrationDesign My Night provides table and party booking functionality for STACK venues. Enables online reservations for table bookings and corporate venue hire.
• Newcastle United Football ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTACK has a partnership with Newcastle United Football Club to create a fan zone at St James' Park. ST James STACK opened at the stadium in 2024, combining sports hospitality with street food and entertainment.
• Meta Business (Facebook and Instagram)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMeta Business provides advertising and business page management tools for STACK's Facebook and Instagram presence. Used for social media marketing and customer engagement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Market Halls: UK operator of multi-vendor food halls combining street food, bars and entertainment. Comparable to STACK in business model and customer base, though in fixed-build food-hall venues rather than container construction.
• Boxpark: UK-based operator of container-style and modular food, drink and entertainment venues (Boxpark Croydon, Wembley, Shoreditch). The most direct comparable to STACK's shipping-container leisure-hub concept, with the same focus on street-food traders, bars, and live events.
• Pop Brixton: Container-pop-up village in Brixton hosting independent street food traders, bars, and event space. Closely comparable to STACK's venue concept and urban-revitalisation thesis, although operating as a single site.
• Hatch (Manchester): Container-pop-up leisure and street-food village on Oxford Road, Manchester, which STACK is set to rebrand and operate as STACK Manchester. Direct venue-to-venue comparable and the only asset in this peer list with a confirmed STACK acquisition/rebrand relationship.
• Street Feast (Hawker House, Dinerama, Model Market): London-based operator of street-food, drink and live-entertainment venues built around independent traders. Direct peer in both concept (multi-vendor food + bars + events) and target demographic.

Broad incumbents

• The Alchemist: Multi-site UK cocktail bar and casual-dining brand with theatrical drinks and a young-adult customer base. Comparable to STACK on experiential bar-led dining, though focused on cocktail menus rather than street-food marketplaces.
• Laine Pub Co: Bristol-based multi-site independent pub and bar operator with live music and events programming. Comparable to STACK on the bar + live-entertainment axis, though operates traditional pubs rather than container-hub venues.
• Camden Market: Major UK leisure, food and retail destination combining street food, bars, and live entertainment. Comparable to STACK in the experiential food-and-beverage destination category, though at significantly larger scale and as a long-established brand.
• Revolution Bars Group: UK-listed multi-site cocktail bar and late-night operator. Comparable on bar operations, events and group/corporate bookings, though operates a traditional fixed-venue cocktail-bar model at much greater scale.

Emerging players

• Seven Dials Market: London food hall with curated mix of street-food traders and bars. Comparable in offering, but operates a permanent indoor market rather than a container/cultural hub model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/stacknewcastle
• Facebookfacebook.com/STACKNewcastle
• Instagraminstagram.com/stacknewcastle
• TikToktiktok.com/@stackleisure

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 STACK