What RetailTRUST does

Retail Trust is a UK-registered charity, founded in 1832 and headquartered in London, that delivers physical, financial, and vocational wellbeing support to workers in the retail and supporting service industries. It operates through a registered entity in England and Wales (charity #1090136) and a separate Scottish registration (#SC039684), with five physical supported living estates in London, Derby, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Salford. Reported headcount is 101–250 employees, and the organisation is governed by a board of trustees with no parent or external equity ownership.

Name

RetailTRUST

Legal name

Retail Trust

Website

https://retailtrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1832

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Retail Trust is a UK-registered charity, founded in 1832, providing physical, financial, and vocational wellbeing support to retail sector employees through a 24-hour helpline, counselling, grants, and supported living estates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The charity operates primarily through donations from individuals, retailers, and organizations in the retail sector. They receive funding through direct donations, fundraising campaigns, events, and corporate partnerships.
2. Charitable Activities: The organization provides wellbeing services including counselling, financial aid, and supported living. Revenue comes from grants, trust funding, and partnership contributions rather than service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Retail Trust is a registered charity that provides physical, financial, and vocational wellbeing support to people working in the UK retail sector. Its core offering is a 24-hour wellbeing helpline, professional counselling, non-repayable financial aid grants, supported living accommodation for retail workers and retirees, and career development resources delivered through employer partnerships and a digital wellness hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Retail HUB: A digital platform providing wellbeing resources, training modules, and support services for retail employees.
• Lifetime App

Products and services

• Health and Wellbeing Hub Personalised wellness hub offering articles, quizzes, videos, and advice on mental health, wellbeing, career, and lifestyle topics. Users register and personalise their experience by selecting topics of interest. Targeted at retail sector workers in the UK.
• 24-hour Wellbeing Helpline Round-the-clock telephone support providing immediate compassionate assistance for emotional or practical challenges. Staffed by trained advisors with access to counselling services. Serves retail workers across the UK (0808 801 0808) and Republic of Ireland (1800 911 810).
• Counselling Services Professional counselling support including in-person and online therapy options for retail workers and their families. Partnerships with Turning Point provide access to online CBT modules for common mental health topics.
• Financial Aid Non-repayable grants and financial support for retail workers experiencing hardship due to health conditions, family circumstances, or unexpected life events.
• Financial Wellbeing App (Lifetime App) Mobile application providing financial education, tools, and guidance. Makes financial wellbeing resources available to all members of the retail trust community.
• Supported Living Estates Housing accommodation for retail workers and retirees, including Marshall Estate (London), Leylands Estate (Derby), Hugh Fraser Retirement Estate (Glasgow), and Moores House (Liverpool/Salford). Includes smart home technology.
• Career Development Resources for career progression including CV and interview support, core skills training, digital skills courses, and pathways for starting out, progressing, or returning to work in retail.
• Incident Pathway Support service for retail staff dealing with workplace abuse, aggression, or violence. Includes training to help colleagues handle abusive situations and incident reporting support.
• Children and Young People's Services Mental health and wellbeing support services for children and young people, including counselling referral services and resources for parents, grandparents, carers, and family friends.
• Digital Upskilling Initiative Vocational learning platform providing digital skills training, workshops, and resources to support retail employees facing redundancy or seeking career progression.
• Retail Rewards Discount programme providing access to savings on groceries, fashion, travel, utilities, days out, and holidays for retail workers, including partnerships with brands such as Holland & Barrett.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 15,000 Currys employees with mental health and wellbeing services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Integration11 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, supporting and core.

• CurrysmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026Currys partnered with Retail Trust to provide enhanced mental health and wellbeing support to 15,000 employees across the UK. The initiative grants staff and household relatives access to counselling services, financial aid, 24-hour helpline support, and AI-powered wellbeing tools, alongside training to handle workplace abuse.
• ALDIsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor UK retailer supporting the Retail Trust mission. Employee Philip Coates received grant supporting his degree studies.
• John Lewis and PartnerssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor UK retailer part of the retail coalition supporting Retail Trust.
• Marks and SpencersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor UK retailer part of the retail coalition supporting Retail Trust.
• NextsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor UK retailer providing employee access to Retail Trust services through employee portal.
• PrimarksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor UK retailer part of the retail coalition supporting Retail Trust.
• Turning PointcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership provides access to online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) modules designed to support a range of common mental health and wellbeing related topics.
• Holland & BarrettsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides monthly discounts for Retail Trust members to use in store.
• PayPlansupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for debt management services and guidance for retail employees.
• Social Value UKsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to measure impact using Social Value Calculator. Demonstrates value created for every £1 spent.
• Movement to WorksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership championing provision of work placements and employment opportunities for young people.
• Capital and RegionalsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMall owners partnered with Retail Trust following Walthamstow fire incident. Matched £25,000 pledge for appeal.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hospitality Action: UK charity providing wellbeing, financial, and mental health support to hospitality workers. Highly comparable as a sector-specific employee wellbeing charity with a 24/7 helpline and grant programmes targeting a UK workforce.
• The Lighthouse Club: UK charity supporting construction workers and their families with wellbeing, financial, and welfare services. Directly comparable as a UK industry-specific charity offering helpline, counselling, and hardship grants.
• The Film and TV Charity: UK charity supporting film, TV, and cinema workers with mental health and financial wellbeing services. Comparable as a sector-specific UK employee support charity with similar helpline and grant offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Health Assured: One of the UK's largest Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providers, offering counselling, helplines, and wellbeing services to employers across sectors. Comparable as a direct competitor for B2B employer wellbeing contracts with overlapping service portfolio.
• BHSF: UK not-for-profit provider of employee health and wellbeing benefits including EAP, mental health, and occupational health services. Comparable as a UK-based wellbeing benefits provider competing for the same employer partnership opportunities.
• Headspace for Work: Global workplace wellbeing offering from Headspace Health providing meditation, mental health, and EAP-style services to employers. Comparable as a scaled competitor in the B2B employer wellbeing market with strong brand recognition.
• Calm Business: Workplace wellbeing arm of Calm offering meditation, sleep, and mental health benefits to employer clients. Comparable as a consumer-brand-led workplace wellbeing competitor targeting the same enterprise buyer.

Emerging players

• Spill: UK workplace mental health platform offering Slack-integrated therapy and wellbeing tools to employers. Comparable as a digital-first competitor in the employer wellbeing space, particularly relevant for Retail Trust's AI/digital channel strategy.
• Togetherall: Digital mental health platform providing anonymous peer support and self-help tools, often licensed through employers and universities. Comparable as an online wellbeing service competing for employer wellbeing budgets in the UK.
• Perkbox: UK employee benefits and wellbeing platform offering perks, EAP, and recognition tools to employers. Comparable as a UK-headquartered platform competing for employer wellbeing partnership budgets.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/retailTRUST

Compliance17 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 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 RetailTRUST