What Recipro does

Recipro (UK) Ltd is a UK-based social enterprise structured as a Company Limited by Guarantee (registered in England, No. 7337400) and headquartered in Wallasey, where it operates the ReciproCity Wirral discount DIY and decorating store from Unit 2 Britannia House, Dock Road. The company collects unwanted surplus building materials donated by contractors and suppliers — primarily kitchens, bathrooms, paint, tiles, timber, and sinks — and resells them to individual consumers, charities, community groups, schools, churches, and small organisations at minimum 70% off retail prices. Recipro commits to reinvesting at least 50% of profits back into its environmental and community mission, classifying itself as a social enterprise rather than a profit-maximising retailer.

The company's second business line is ReColour Paint, a family of remanufactured paint products launched from its on-site remanufacturing centre (established 2017). Production uses technology licensed from Newlife Paints: leftover/waste paint is filtered, treated, and blended into emulsions (matt, silk, bathroom/kitchen), masonry, chalky furniture paint, and (from March 2023) ReColour Garden Paint. Recipro sells ReColour from its Wallasey factory store, through a growing UK network of stockist organisations/charities/businesses, and via an online shop with click-and-collect and delivery. Recipro is also a member scheme of Community RePaint, a Dulux-sponsored, Resource Futures-run UK-wide paint reuse network comprising 65+ schemes.

Revenue mechanics are entirely unit-priced retail: physical store transactions, stockist wholesale, and direct online orders at deep discount to retail benchmarks (paint from £1.20/litre, chalk paint £6 per unit, garden paint £10 for 5 litres). On the supply side, the donation acceptance programme captures inputs at near-zero cost, supporting the discount pricing model. As of July 2022, Recipro had remanufactured 300,000+ litres of leftover paint since 2017; the company addresses the UK-wide problem of an estimated 50 million litres of the 320 million litres of paint sold annually going to waste, and the 14% of construction materials ordered to site that never get used. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and no external institutional funding is on record.

Name

Recipro

Legal name

Recipro (UK) Ltd

Website

https://recipro-uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Recipro is a UK social enterprise running a discount DIY retail store (ReciproCity Wirral) and a remanufactured paint brand (ReColour), reselling donated surplus building materials and waste paint to consumers, charities, and community groups at minimum 70% off retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reuse and Discount Home Improvement Retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Paint and Wallpaper Retailers (444120), Home Centers (444110), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200), Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores (5700)

akta.pro primary industry

Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refurbishment, Remanufacturing & Recommerce Enablement (TLAIAHAC), Reclaimed Materials & Fixtures Retail (Cabinetry, Sinks, Faucets) (CRAIANAI)

Keywords

• Remanufactured paint products
• Surplus building materials
• Discount DIY retail
• Social enterprise reuse
• Paint recycling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wallasey

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Surplus Building Materials Sales: Recipro sells donated surplus building materials (kitchens, bathrooms, paint, tiles, timber, sinks and more) at heavily discounted prices. Stock comes from contractors and suppliers who have overordered, changed ranges or had returned stock. The majority of stock is brand new.
2. ReColour Paint Sales: Sale of remanufactured paint products including emulsions, masonry paint, and chalk furniture paint. Paint is sold at their factory store on the Wirral, through stockists across the UK, and via delivery (minimum quantities apply).
3. Surplus Material Donation Acceptance: Recipro works with suppliers and contractors who donate unwanted surplus building materials. This provides materials for their retail operations while helping donors reduce waste costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Recipro is a UK-based social enterprise that operates ReciproCity Wirral, a physical discount retail store in Wallasey selling donated surplus building materials (kitchens, bathrooms, tiles, timber, sinks, and more) at a minimum 70% off retail prices. The company also produces and sells ReColour Paint, a family of remanufactured paint products (emulsions, masonry, chalk furniture paint, and garden paint) created from waste/leftover paint filtered, treated, and blended under licence from Newlife Paints.

Product overview

Recipro operates as a social enterprise offering two interconnected product lines: ReciproCity Wirral (a discount DIY store selling surplus donated building materials) and ReColour Paint (a family of remanufactured paints). ReColour Paint is the company's proprietary paint brand produced under licence from Newlife Paints through partnership with Community RePaint and Dulux, transforming waste paint into emulsion, masonry, chalk furniture paint, and garden paint products. The company collects surplus materials from contractors and suppliers to sell at discounted rates, with profits reinvested for environmental and community benefit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReColour Paint: A range of remanufactured paint products created from waste paint, including emulsions, masonry paints, and chalk paints. Produced under licence from Newlife Paints through partnership with Community RePaint and Dulux.

Products and services

• ReciproCity Wirral Discount DIY Store A physical discount DIY and decorating store in Wallasey selling surplus building materials donated by contractors and suppliers, including kitchens, bathrooms, paint, tiles, timber, sinks, and more at prices at least 70% below retail. Serves homeowners, renters, landlords, charities, community groups, and schools.
• ReColour Paint (Brand) The company's proprietary paint brand produced under licence from Newlife Paints through partnership with Community RePaint and Dulux. Takes leftover paints, filters, treats, and blends them into emulsions, masonry, and chalk furniture paints. Available at the factory store on the Wirral, through UK stockists, and via online delivery.
• ReColour Emulsion Paint Interior wall and ceiling paint available in matt (flat finish for covering imperfections), silk (wipeable shinier look), and bathroom/kitchen emulsions (moisture-resistant soft-sheen finish).
• ReColour Smooth Masonry Paint Weatherproof and hard-wearing outdoor paint for brick and masonry surfaces.
• ReColour Chalky Furniture Paint Easy-to-use chalk paint for furniture upcycling, available in a range of colours for £6 per unit, suitable for almost any surface and requiring sealing with wax or varnish after application.
• ReColour Garden Paint Multi-purpose outdoor paint suitable for masonry, wood, fences, sheds, plant pots, walls, log stores, wendy houses, and planters, priced at £10 for 5 litres.
• Surplus Stock Donation Program A service for contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers to donate unwanted surplus building materials, helping them reduce waste disposal costs while supporting local communities and charities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Diverted 300,000+ litres of paint from waste stream since 2017
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community RePaintcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipro are members of Community RePaint, a UK wide paint reuse network sponsored by Dulux and run by Resource Futures. The network aims to collect leftover paint and redistribute it to benefit individuals, families, communities and charities in need at affordable cost. Recipro collects unwanted paint from around the North West, sells reusable paint, and remanufactures paint onsite as ReColour.
• Newlife PaintscoreTechnology or IntegrationReColour paint is produced under licence from Newlife Paints Ltd. Using innovative technology, Recipro takes leftover paints, filters, treats and blends them to create a range of remanufactured paint products including emulsions, masonry and chalky furniture paints.
• DuluxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDulux sponsors the Community RePaint network of which Recipro is a member. Dulux support helps enable the paint reuse scheme and remanufacturing operations.
• Resource FuturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResource Futures is an environmental consultancy that runs the Community RePaint network on a day-to-day basis.
• WickesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWickes Home Delivery Centre works with Recipro to divert surplus materials from environmental waste streams, saving thousands of pounds annually and supporting local communities.
• VeoliaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVeolia donated materials to support the Under 5s Craft Hub community project facilitated by Recipro.
• Travis PerkinsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTravis Perkins donated materials to support the Under 5s Craft Hub community project facilitated by Recipro.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• British Heart Foundation Home Store: UK charity retail chain selling donated furniture, homewares and occasional building materials at discounted prices. Directly comparable to ReciproCity Wirral on charity-surplus retail model and target customer base.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore: Chain of nonprofit home goods stores in the US and other markets that sell donated and surplus new building materials, furniture and DIY items at deep discounts. Directly comparable to ReciproCity Wirral on mission, donation model and discount retail format.
• Newlife Paints: UK-based paint recycling company that developed the filtering, treating and blending technology Recipro uses under licence to produce ReColour. Most directly comparable peer because it operates the same core waste-to-paint remanufacturing process Recipro depends on.

Others

• Resource Futures: Environmental consultancy that operates the Community RePaint network day-to-day. Comparable as a key ecosystem enabler of Recipro's paint reuse operations and as an adjacent environmental services provider.
• Travis Perkins: UK's largest supplier of building materials to the trade. Already a Recipro donor partner and adjacent supplier of many of the same categories Recipro resells — relevant as an upstream/donor counterparty and ecosystem participant.
• Hubbub Foundation: UK environmental charity that runs circular-economy and reuse campaigns including paint and materials programmes. Comparable as an adjacent environmental mission-driven organisation operating in the same waste-reduction space.

Broad incumbents

• B&Q: UK's largest home improvement and DIY retailer offering building materials, kitchens, bathrooms and paint. Comparable as the broad incumbent in the DIY/decorating space Recipro targets at the discount, surplus end of the market.
• Wickes: Major UK DIY and home improvement retailer that is both a donor partner to Recipro and a competitor in adjacent categories. Comparable because it operates the mainstream DIY retail space Recipro serves at the discount tier.
• Community RePaint: UK-wide paint reuse network sponsored by Dulux and run by Resource Futures, of which Recipro is a member scheme. Comparable because it coordinates the broader ecosystem of paint reuse organisations and sets the framework within which Recipro operates.

Regional players

• Paintback (Australia): Australian paint stewardship programme that collects and reprocesses leftover architectural paint. Comparable as a regional paint-waste-to-resource operator, but operates in a different geography and a stewardship/programme model rather than retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ReciproCityWirral
• Instagraminstagram.com/reciprocity_wirral
• Xx.com/reciproUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recipro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Recipro