What GroceryAid does

GroceryAid is a UK-registered charity, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Sandhurst, operating as a company limited by guarantee (Registered Charity 1095897 in England & Wales, SC039255 in Scotland). The organisation delivers free, confidential financial, emotional, and practical support to current UK grocery industry workers (eligible after 6 months of continuous employment), former grocery workers with 5+ years of service, and their spouses, partners, and dependents. Its core service stack comprises a 24/7 BACP-accredited counselling helpline (08088 021 122, with WhatsApp and 200+ language translation), a portfolio of non-repayable financial grants (general financial assistance, £150 School Essentials Grant per child, Carers Grant, Cost of Living Support, Asda Tickled Pink Breast Cancer Grant), and practical support channelled through specialist partners — StepChange (debt), Law Express (legal), Shelter Plus (housing), GamCare (gambling), Relate (counselling including 5-11 year-olds), Kooth (young carers 11-25), Rightsteps (online wellbeing), Turn2us (benefits calculator), and Money Helper (budget planner). Distribution is via a website portal, mobile application, helpline, and on-site critical incident response teams deployed to employers after workplace trauma.

The charity is funded through a hybrid model: corporate donations and sponsorships from over 100 Gold Supporters across grocery retail (Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Waitrose), wholesale (Booker, Bestway), manufacturing (2 Sisters, Bakkavor, Arla, Birds Eye, Britvic), and brand-owner (P&G, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Unilever) cohorts; ticketed fundraising events (Waitrose & Partners Garden Party with £18,000+VAT premium tables, Tesco Glitz Ball, Booker Dragon Boat Race which raised £370,000+ in 2025, annual Golf Day which raised £195,000+ in 2026, London to Amsterdam cycle, Checkout Scotland); and grants from trusts such as The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust (£1M for School Essentials in 2024). Services to beneficiaries are free; revenue is generated on the donor and event side only.

In 2024/25, GroceryAid spent over £6.5M delivering 139,000+ incidents of support, a 76% increase in volume and 8% increase in spend year-on-year. The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees drawn from Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Bestway, Agroberries, William Reed, Accenture, Edgewell Personal Care, Nestle, P&G, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, and others, with Morrisons CEO Rami Baitiéh as President (appointed January 2025), and is led operationally by CEO Kieran Hemsworth (appointed September 2023). Recent strategic moves include assumption of the Tobacco Trade Benevolent Association's welfare funds (February 2025), the appointment of Fold7 as creative partner (October 2025), and the launch of children's counselling services ages 5-11 via Relate (2024). Technology stack is operationally modest — website, mobile app, helpline infrastructure, and Microsoft Power Platform for internal business systems — with no AI/ML capabilities disclosed.

Name

GroceryAid

Legal name

GroceryAid

Website

https://groceryaid.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1857

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GroceryAid is a UK charity, founded in 1857, delivering free financial, emotional, and practical support to current and former grocery industry workers and their families. It serves the UK's 2.6 million grocery workers through a 24/7 helpline, grants, counselling, and 100+ corporate supporters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandhurst

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industry Fundraising: GroceryAid raises funds through corporate donations, event sponsorship, and fundraising activities from grocery industry companies. Major supporters include retailers (Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose), food manufacturers, wholesalers, and suppliers across the grocery sector. The charity receives support from over 100 gold supporters displaying their logos on the website.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from ticketed events including balls, golf days, cycle challenges, and sporting tournaments. Events such as the Waitrose & Partners Garden Party generate significant revenue through premium table bookings (up to £18,000 per table of 10) and sponsorship packages.
3. Donations and Grants: The charity receives donations from individuals and organizations within the grocery industry, as well as grants from trusts such as The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust, which funded the £1 million School Essentials Grant program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

GroceryAid is the UK's grocery industry welfare charity, founded in 1857, providing free and confidential financial, emotional, and practical support to current and former grocery workers and their families. Core services include a 24/7 helpline staffed by BACP-accredited counsellors, non-repayable financial grants (general assistance, School Essentials, Carers Grant, Cost of Living), debt advice via StepChange partnership, legal advice via Law Express, housing support via Shelter Plus, gambling support via GamCare, counselling via Relate (including children aged 5-11), and workplace critical incident trauma support.

Product overview

GroceryAid is a charity providing financial, emotional, and practical support services to grocery industry workers. The organization operates a unified service model centered on its 24/7 Helpline, which delivers immediate crisis support and counselling. Financial assistance is provided through various grant programmes including general Financial Grants, the School Essentials Grant (£150 per child), Cost of Living Support, and Carers Grant. Practical support encompasses debt advice (via StepChange partnership), legal advice (via Law Express), housing support (via Shelter Plus), and gambling support (via GamCare). The charity also delivers online wellbeing resources through Rightsteps and manages the D&I in Grocery Programme for industry-wide diversity initiatives. Digital tools include Benefits Calculator (Turn2us) and Budget Planner (Money Helper). Events and fundraising activities form a key part of the organization's engagement model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• D&I in Grocery Programme: A 12-month diversity and inclusion programme created for the grocery industry by the industry, delivered and facilitated by GroceryAid to support 2.6 million employees across the sector.

Products and services

• 24/7 Helpline A free, confidential helpline available 24/7/365, providing immediate emotional support and counselling to grocery workers and their families. Staffed by BACP-accredited counsellors with translation available in over 200 languages and accessible via WhatsApp. Provided 5,300+ in-the-moment counselling sessions in 2024/25.
• Financial Grants One-off non-repayable financial grants for grocery workers experiencing unexpected income drops or financial hardship, including support for cost-of-living pressures, Breast Cancer Grant (via Asda Tickled Pink), and rent arrears.
• School Essentials Grant £150 non-repayable grant per school-age child (up to £450 per household) for grocery workers' children, supporting families with uniforms and equipment for the school year. 6,667 children received grants in September 2024.
• Carers Grant Financial support for grocery workers who are carers or being cared for, including access to one-off grants and accompanying emotional and practical assistance.
• Debt Advice Free, confidential debt advice delivered through partnership with StepChange and Business Debtline, helping grocery workers assess financial situations and access debt management solutions.
• Legal Advice Free, confidential legal advice on personal and business matters via the Law Express partnership, covering family law, employment, child maintenance, and other legal issues. Accessed through the helpline with unique access codes.
• Workplace Critical Incident Support Trauma support for grocery workers and employers following critical workplace incidents such as accidents, sudden death of a colleague, medical emergencies, or violent attacks. Trauma specialists deployed on-site at employer request.
• Online Health and Wellbeing Support (Rightsteps) Online portal of self-help information covering Mind, Body, and Behaviour categories, delivered through the Rightsteps partnership with one of the UK's leading health and wellbeing providers.
• Gambling Addiction Support (GamCare) Confidential advice and support for anyone affected by gambling harms, delivered through the GamCare partnership via helpline, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Live Chat, and online message board, available 24/7.
• Autism Advice (National Autistic Society) Specialist autism advice for grocery workers and families affected by autism, delivered through the National Autistic Society partnership.
• GroceryAid Mobile Application Mobile application providing on-the-go access to GroceryAid support services, allowing users to manage support requests, access resources, and personalise their profile (name, photo, pronouns, company, job title).
• D&I in Grocery Programme A 12-month industry-wide diversity and inclusion programme created for the grocery industry, including maturity benchmarking, mentoring, and networking through The Partner HUB. 100+ grocery industry companies participate.
• GroceryAid Fundraising Events Annual fundraising events including Golf Day, Booker Dragon Boat Race, Waitrose & Partners Garden Party, GroceryAid Ball, Tesco Glitz Ball, Morrisons Big Night Out, cycling challenges (London to Amsterdam, Pedal the Borders), Checkout Scotland, Sporting Lunch, Asda Tickled Pink Ball, Sainsbury's Big Bash, Co-op Windermere Row, Barcode Festival, Tesco Clay Pigeon Shoot, and Co-op Pioneer Awards. Premium table of 10 up to £18,000+VAT.
• Benefits Calculator Online benefits calculator tool powered by Turn2us, helping grocery workers identify which benefits they may be entitled to claim.
• Budget Planner Online budgeting tool provided through the Money Helper partnership to help grocery workers manage their finances and track spending.
• Young Carers Support (Kooth) Free mental health and wellbeing platform for young carers aged 11-25 living in grocery colleague households, provided through partnership with Kooth.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fold7coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 October 2025Appointed as strategic and creative partner to support GroceryAid's marketing and communications initiatives.
• Tobacco Pipe Makers & Tobacco Trade Benevolent FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2025Transfer of responsibility for Tobacco Trade Benevolent Association's Welfare Funds to GroceryAid from February 2025, extending support to current and former tobacco industry workers including those from manufacturing, wholesale and retail.
• StepChangecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with StepChange debt charity to provide debt advice services for grocery colleagues struggling with financial difficulties. StepChange helps assess financial situations and provides practical solutions for a fresh start.
• Shelter PluscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Shelter Plus providing specialist housing advice for complex housing issues. Provided 165 hours of specialist advice in 2024/25 for grocery colleagues facing housing crises.
• Law ExpresscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership providing free and confidential legal advice on business and personal issues. Available through helpline with unique access codes provided to callers for Law Express line.
• GamCarecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with GamCare to provide advice and support for anyone affected by gambling harms. GamCare offers confidential information, advice and support 24 hours a day, including helpline, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Live Chat, and online message board.
• KoothcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Kooth providing free mental health and wellbeing platform for young carers aged 11-25 living in grocery colleague households.
• RelatecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Relate providing counselling services, including dedicated counselling for children aged 5-11 years introduced in 2024/25.
• RightstepscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Rightsteps, one of the UK's most trusted health and wellbeing experts, offering an online portal of self-help information on topics split into Mind, Body, and Behaviour categories.
• Turn2uscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Turn2us providing benefits calculator tool to help grocery colleagues find out which benefits they may be entitled to claim.
• Money HelpercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Money Helper providing budget planner tool and financial guidance resources for grocery colleagues.
• Business DebtlinecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Business Debtline, a charity providing free debt advice to self-employed people and small businesses in England, Wales and Scotland.
• TrussellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner for Waitrose & Partners Garden Party event. Trussell works alongside GroceryAid at events to support mutual charitable objectives.
• FareShareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner for Waitrose & Partners Garden Party event. FareShare works alongside GroceryAid at events to support mutual charitable objectives.
• D&I in Grocery Programme PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 100 grocery industry companies participate in the D&I in Grocery Programme, a 12-month programme to accelerate diversity and inclusion in the grocery industry. Partners include major retailers (Waitrose, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's) and food manufacturers.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Education Support: UK charity providing mental health and wellbeing services specifically to teachers and education staff. Highly comparable beneficiary model (cohort of service-sector employees), funded through partner employers, and offering counselling, peer support, and crisis grants in a similar service mix.
• Hospitality Action: UK-registered charity providing welfare support (financial grants, counselling, helpline) to workers in the hospitality industry. Closest direct analogue to GroceryAid's industry-specific welfare model — same beneficiary type (lower-paid service-industry workers), same service mix, and same reliance on industry corporate fundraising events.
• Licensed Trade Charity: UK charity (formerly the Licensed Victuallers' School) delivering welfare grants and hardship support to workers in the pub, bar, and brewing sectors. Same single-sector welfare charity structure as GroceryAid, same model of corporate donations from sector leaders and event-led fundraising.
• The Care Workers' Charity: UK charity providing hardship grants and mental health support to social care workers. Directly comparable in mission and beneficiary type (lower-paid, frontline service workers), funded via corporate donations and individual giving within a single industry vertical.
• Retail Trust: Long-standing UK charity providing mental health, financial, and practical support to current and former retail workers. Directly comparable model to GroceryAid — sector-restricted welfare charity with a helpline, grants, and corporate-funded events — though with a broader (non-food) retail focus.
• The Farming Community Network: UK charity providing pastoral, financial-hardship, and mental-health support to farming families and agricultural workers. Comparable single-sector welfare mission and volunteer/partnership-driven delivery model, though its primary modality is helpline/volunteer support rather than financial grants.

Others

• SSAFA: UK armed-forces charity providing welfare, financial, and mental health support to service personnel, veterans, and their families. Operational and funding parallels (industry-anchored donations, casework, partnerships with specialist providers) though serving a non-civilian beneficiary cohort.
• Citizens Advice: UK's largest independent advice charity, providing debt, welfare-benefit, housing, and employment advice. Comparable in advice-and-grant-adjacent service design (Citizens Advice directly competes with several of GroceryAid's partner organisations) and a likely alternative pathway for the same beneficiary cohort.

Emerging players

• The BEN: UK charity providing health, welfare, and financial support specifically to people working in the building engineering services sector. Same single-industry welfare charity construct as GroceryAid but at smaller scale and within a different vertical, illustrating the broader template for industry-welfare charities.
• Trussell Trust: UK charity that supports a nationwide network of food banks. Indirectly adjacent (already a co-event-partner with GroceryAid) — they tackle similar cost-of-living hardship via food rather than grants, and an overlap in beneficiary demographics (low-paid UK workers) makes them thematically comparable.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/groceryaid
• Facebookfacebook.com/groceryaid
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groceryaid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 GroceryAid