What Ello Group does

Ello Group is a UK-based loyalty and rewards platform company that operates both consumer-facing membership brands and a white-label B2B enterprise platform. Its consumer portfolio comprises tastecard (the UK's largest dining club, 2.4–4 million members across 5,000+ restaurants), Gourmet Society (25% off dining), Coffee Club (coffee shop rewards), Entertainment Benefits / Experiences (Merlin attractions), Pizza Delivery deals (Domino's, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut), and Vue Pass (cinema rewards at 90+ UK and Ireland cinemas), all delivered through dedicated apps and websites. The B2B platform allows enterprises in finance, insurance, retail, utilities, and automotive to deploy bespoke loyalty schemes and employee benefits packages — either embedded via API into client apps (e.g., Compare the Market's Meerkat Meals/Movies since 2018) or accessed through standalone portals, with over 3,000 business clients and 10,000+ partner offers nationwide.

The company monetises through quote-based annual B2B subscriptions (enterprise and employee benefits), supported by a sales-led, consultative go-to-market motion targeting large organisations (BBC, Disney, Lloyds, Vodafone, Vitality, Scottish Power, HASSRA). Consumer memberships are largely subsidised by enterprise partners (e.g., O2 Priority free tastecard Mondays), making the consumer base effectively a distribution asset for B2B deal-making. Underlying technology centres on white-label platform capability, API connectivity into partner apps, and a multi-brand architecture owned via subsidiaries Taste Marketing Ltd, Simard Ltd, and Hi-Life Diners Club Ltd.

Founded in 2005 and led by founder-CEO Matthew Turner, the company was acquired by global travel-and-lifestyle platform Dragonpass at the end of 2025 and secured £16.5 million in debt financing from HSBC UK in mid-2026 to fund growth. Headquartered in Huddersfield with 11–50 employees, Ello Group competes on the scale of its UK partner network and brand recognition rather than on algorithmic differentiation.

Name

Ello Group

Legal name

Ello Group Ltd.

Website

https://ellogroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ello Group operates a UK loyalty and rewards platform combining consumer membership brands (tastecard, Gourmet Society, Coffee Club, Vue Pass, Entertainment Benefits) with a white-label B2B enterprise platform, serving 3,000+ businesses across finance, insurance, retail, utilities and automotive with bespoke loyalty schemes and employee benefits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Loyalty and Rewards Platform Software

akta.pro primary industry

Loyalty Program Management Platforms (Earn/Burn, Rules Engine, Member Lifecycle) (THALAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rewards Marketplace & Redemption Platforms (Merchandise, Gift Cards, Experiences) (THALAKAC)

Keywords

• Loyalty platform software
• Customer rewards programmes
• Employee benefits schemes
• White-label loyalty solutions
• Dining discount club

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Loyalty Platform Subscriptions: Enterprise clients (finance, insurance, retail, utilities, automotive) pay for bespoke loyalty and rewards platforms, white-label solutions, and employee benefits schemes. Revenue derived from licensing platform technology and per-employee or per-customer pricing models.
2. Consumer Membership (tastecard, Gourmet Society, Coffee Club): Consumer-facing subscription/membership products offering dining discounts, coffee rewards, and entertainment benefits. While some memberships are provided free through partner brands (e.g., O2 Priority), the platform monetises through B2B partnerships where brands subsidise membership costs for customer/employee engagement.
3. Employee Benefits Administration: Providing employee benefits platforms to employers, including salary deduction models for dining, entertainment, and coffee rewards. Revenue generated through per-employee licensing fees or corporate subscription arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ello Group designs, builds, and operates a proprietary loyalty and rewards platform delivered via white-label B2B solutions and consumer-facing membership brands. The company supplies bespoke customer loyalty schemes, employee benefits packages, and partner-funded consumer memberships spanning dining, coffee, cinema, pizza delivery, and entertainment experiences, integrated into enterprise clients' apps via API.

Product overview

Ellor Group operates a multi-brand loyalty and rewards platform built around four core consumer-facing brands — tastecard (the UK's largest dining club), Gourmet Society (25% off dining), Coffee Club (coffee shop rewards), and Cinema/Entertainment Benefits — spanning dining, coffee, cinema, and days-out categories. These brands are offered both as standalone consumer memberships and as white-label B2B solutions (Loyalty Schemes and Employee Benefits platforms) that businesses embed into their own apps or portals to acquire, engage, and retain customers and staff. Vue Pass (cinema rewards for Vue) is another named product, and pizza delivery deals are available across tastecard and Gourmet Society. The company also owns Taste Marketing Limited (Coffee Club/Tastecard), Simard Limited (Gourmet Society), and Hi-Life Diners Club Limited (hi-life).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• tastecard: UK's largest dining club offering 2-for-1 meals or 25% off food and drinks at thousands of restaurants nationwide. Has 2.4 million members across 5,000+ locations.
• Gourmet Society
• Coffee Club
• Vue Pass

Products and services

• tastecard UK's largest dining club membership offering 2-for-1 meals or 25% off food and drinks at over 5,000 restaurant locations nationwide, also covering cinema tickets, days out, and pizza delivery deals; for individual consumers and B2B partner-brand distribution.
• Gourmet Society Restaurant membership providing 25% off the total bill (including drinks) at thousands of restaurants across the UK, plus cinema and attraction savings.
• Coffee Club Coffee shop rewards programme offering 25% off barista-made drinks at partner coffee chains (including Caffè Nero) and independent coffee shops across the UK.
• Pizza Delivery Deals Pizza delivery discount programme offering 50% off or 2-for-1 deals on pizza from Pizza Hut Delivery, Papa Johns, and Domino's, accessible via tastecard and Gourmet Society or as a white-label package.
• Vue Pass Cinema rewards programme providing discounts on tickets and snacks at Vue cinemas across the UK; part of Ellor Group's cinema loyalty offering in partnership with Vue Entertainment.
• Cinema Rewards Cinema loyalty programme offering discounts on tickets and snacks at over 90 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, including Odeon, Cineworld, Vue, Showcase, Picturehouse, and others.
• Entertainment Benefits (Experiences) Entertainment and experience rewards providing up to 50% off at UK attractions such as SEA LIFE, Legoland, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Madame Tussauds, Chessington, The Dungeons, accessible through tastecard app or integrated into partner platforms.
• Loyalty Schemes (B2B Platform) White-label B2B loyalty and rewards platform enabling businesses in finance, insurance, retail, utilities, and automotive sectors to offer bespoke customer loyalty programmes incorporating dining, coffee, entertainment, and cinema rewards, deployable via API into the client's own apps or websites.
• Employee Benefits (B2B Platform) B2B employee benefits platform offering multi-platform reward schemes including dining rewards, entertainment benefits, coffee shop rewards, and pizza delivery deals, deployed via white-label or salary-deduction models to boost staff retention and engagement.

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, key and minor.

• Compare the MarketflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship partnership creating Meerkat Meals dining rewards and Meerkat Movies cinema rewards for Compare the Market's insurance customers. Utilises tastecard's technology and restaurant partner network, integrated through API into the Meerkat app.
• Vue EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer Vue Pass cinema rewards programme. 90 state-of-the-art cinemas across UK and Ireland covered. Vue Services Limited and Vue Entertainment Limited receive services from Ellor Group per privacy notice.
• BBCkeyGTM or Marketing PartnerBBC implemented employee benefits programme with Coffee Club and tastecard. tastecard memberships doubled in first two years with major Coffee Club uptake, demonstrating B2B employee benefits success.
• DisneykeyGTM or Marketing PartnerDisney introduced tastecard via salary reduction model for employees. Zero cost to business, high employee uptake, meaningful wellbeing savings achieved.
• HASSRAkeyGTM or Marketing PartnerPost-pandemic office return initiative using bespoke branded Coffee Club. 3,000+ sign-ups in first quarter with increased office engagement.
• O2 PrioritykeyGTM or Marketing PartnerO2 Priority offers free tastecard memberships to customers on Mondays, making the loyalty programme accessible to O2's subscriber base and driving customer engagement and retention.
• PizzaExpresscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant partner offering dining discounts to tastecard and Gourmet Society members. One of the UK's most popular dining brands in the partner network.
• Caffè NerocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCoffee partner offering 25% off barista-made drinks to Coffee Club members. One of UK's largest coffee chains in the partner network.
• Domino'scoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPizza delivery partner offering 50% off or 2-for-1 deals to tastecard and Gourmet Society members. Part of the pizza delivery programme including Pizza Hut Delivery and Papa Johns.
• Alton TowerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEntertainment attraction partner offering up to 50% off tickets at UK attractions including Alton Towers, Legoland, SEA LIFE, Chessington, Madame Tussauds, Thorpe Park, The Dungeons.
• OdeoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCinema chain partner for cinema rewards programme. Major UK cinema chain alongside Vue, Cineworld, Showcase, Picturehouse, and other chains.
• Burger KingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant partner in tastecard network offering dining discounts to members. Major fast food brand in UK partner ecosystem.
• VitalitykeyGTM or Marketing PartnerHealth insurance provider partnership offering lifestyle rewards to members. Part of insurance sector vertical targeting.
• Lloyds BankkeyGTM or Marketing PartnerBanking partner for employee benefits and customer loyalty programmes. Part of finance sector vertical.
• Krispy KremecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFood/dining partner in tastecard network. Doughnut and coffee brand with UK-wide presence.
• Golden ToursminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSightseeing tours partner added to tastecard network, expanding entertainment benefits to include tourist attractions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Antavo: Antavo is a loyalty cloud platform focused on SaaS-style loyalty programme technology for retail and lifestyle brands. It is comparable to Ello's white-label loyalty platform but skews toward software licensing rather than owned consumer membership brands.
• Thanx: Thanx is a restaurant and merchant loyalty platform operating in the US, enabling digital loyalty, offers, and payments. It is comparable to Ello's restaurant partner network and white-label merchant offer infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Perkbox: Perkbox provides a B2B employee benefits and wellbeing platform with retail discounts, lifestyle perks, and recognition tools. It is a direct competitor to Ello's Employee Benefits solution for HR and people teams in mid-market and enterprise segments.
• Reward Gateway: Reward Gateway is a UK-headquartered B2B employee engagement and benefits platform. It directly competes with Ello's Employee Benefits platform offering, serving HR and people teams at enterprise clients with lifestyle rewards and recognition tools.
• Eagle Eye Solutions: Eagle Eye is a UK-headquartered loyalty and promotional pricing platform powering digital coupons, loyalty, and offers for grocery, retail, and hospitality brands. It competes with Ello's white-label loyalty platform at the technology layer serving retailers and restaurants.
• Rakuten UK: Rakuten operates a UK cashback and rewards platform offering consumer savings across retail, dining, and travel. It competes with Ello's consumer rewards proposition and partner-funded model, particularly for digital-first members.
• Plus Card: Plus Card is a UK multi-brand gift card and rewards programme with dining and lifestyle benefits. It is the closest direct competitor to tastecard in the UK dining club category, targeting overlapping consumers and restaurant partners.

Broad incumbents

• Blackhawk Network: Blackhawk Network is a global branded payments and rewards marketplace operating gift cards, prepaid solutions, and incentives. It overlaps with Ello's rewards marketplace and white-label distribution at a much larger international scale.
• Sodexo Engage: Sodexo Engage is the employee benefits and engagement arm of global services major Sodexo, offering reward and recognition platforms, vouchers, and lifestyle benefits. It competes broadly with Ello's B2B benefits offering as part of a much larger diversified portfolio.

Regional players

• Quaffer / MWH Hospitality: MWH Hospitality operates hospitality and gift card programmes including the Quaffer brand in select markets. It is comparable to Ello's dining club and gift-card-style rewards distribution but with a different geographic footprint and merchant mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ello-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/life_at_ello

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 Ello Group