Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CaSE)

What Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CaSE) does

CASE (Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency) is an employee-owned co-operative established in 1982 in Leicester, East Midlands, United Kingdom, operating under the legal entity LCCDA Management Co-operative Ltd (Company Number 1811633). The organisation provides advisory, consultancy, training, and company registration services to co-operatives, social enterprises, community interest companies, and small businesses, with a stated mission of growing the co-operative and social enterprise economy in the East Midlands. Its core service lines are Business Services (business planning, research, grants sourcing, financial and marketing skills), Start Ups advisory, Company Registrations through Companies House, the From Conflict to Co-operation mediation service, and Events and Training (half-day £420–£600, full-day £600–£1,000). Alongside these fee-paying services, CASE delivers a portfolio of commissioned programmes including BUILD (networking), Growth Accelerator for Social Entrepreneurs, Women Mean Business, Business Support for Coops (with Co-operatives UK and The Co-operative Bank), Work.Live.Leicestershire, SEW Leicestershire (commissioned by Leicestershire County Council), Co-op Living History (Heritage Lottery funded), and Multiply Countability (National Numeracy).

CASE operates with a lean team of approximately six specialist advisers and a coordinator, including Jane Avery (Business Development Director), Emma Compson, Dan Kelly, Jane Powell, Ian Wilson, and Coordinator Julia Carden, with Dorothy Francis and Jane Avery now retired as Honorary Members. The technology stack is non-existent by design: the value proposition rests entirely on senior human expertise, with no proprietary platform, software product, or API. Pricing follows a two-tier pay-as-you-go model — discounted for co-operatives and social enterprises under £10m turnover (£60/hour, £420/day) and full rate for other organisations (£120/hour, £600/day) — with VAT at 20% added. Distribution is primarily direct (phone, email, in-person) plus self-service online resources and partner referrals through Co-operatives UK, Leicestershire County Council, Voluntary Action Leicester, and Big Society Capital. Documented customer outcomes include Soft Touch Arts scaling from 4 founders on £40/week to over £500,000 turnover, and supporting ~60 individuals into their own enterprises via the Work.Live.Leicestershire programme.

Name

Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CaSE)

Legal name

LCCDA Management Co-operative Ltd

Website

https://case.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CASE is an employee-owned co-operative, established in 1982 in Leicester, UK, that provides advisory, consultancy, training, and company registration services to co-operatives, social enterprises, and community businesses across the East Midlands, delivered through a six-person specialist team and commissioned public-sector programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Co-operative and Social Enterprise Advisory Services

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (5511)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Support Services & Case Management (Coaching, Wraparound) (EDAAAOAK)

Keywords

• Co-operative development services
• Social enterprise advisory
• Business support consultancy
• Company registration services
• Co-operative mediation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Hourly or daily rate consultancy services for co-operatives, social enterprises, and other organizations requiring business support, advisory services, and expertise in cooperative working practices.
2. Training Courses and Workshops: Half-day and full-day training sessions delivered at local venues, covering topics relevant to co-operative and social enterprise development, business planning, and operational issues.
3. Business Registration Services: Company registration support services including document preparation, submission to Companies House, and guidance on appropriate legal structures for co-operative and social enterprise models.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CASE is an employee-owned co-operative that provides business advisory, consultancy, training, mediation and company registration services to co-operatives, social enterprises, community businesses and prospective founders, primarily across the East Midlands and the UK. It also delivers multiple commissioned programmes (BUILD, Growth Accelerator for Social Entrepreneurs, Women Mean Business, SEW Leicestershire, Business Support for Coops, Work.Live.Leicestershire, Co-op Living History, Multiply Countability) in partnership with public bodies and national co-operative organisations.

Product overview

CASE is an employee-owned co-operative providing a portfolio of advisory, consultancy, and support services for co-operatives and social enterprises. The organisation operates as a single-service practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include Business Services (business planning, research, grants, financial/marketing support), Start Ups advisory, Company Registrations through Companies House, and From Conflict to Co-operation mediation services. These are complemented by training and events offerings. Additionally, CASE delivers multiple commissioned project programmes including BUILD (networking), Growth Accelerator for Social Entrepreneurs, Women Mean Business, Business Support for Coops (in partnership with Co-operatives UK and The Co-operative Bank), Work.Live.Leicestershire (WiLL), SEW Leicestershire, Co-op Living History, and Multiply Countability. All services are delivered by specialist advisers through one-to-one sessions, workshops, and mentoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Services Comprehensive business development support for co-operatives, social enterprises and community businesses, including assistance with business plans, research, grant and loan sourcing, financial and marketing skills, legal structure selection and business registration.
• Start Ups Advisory Advisory services for individuals and groups thinking about starting a co-operative or social enterprise, helping them decide if co-operative, community interest company or other appropriate models fit their goals.
• Company Registrations Support through the entire Companies House registration process, including document preparation, legal structure selection, and acting as the point of contact for registration queries.
• From Conflict to Co-operation Mediation services using co-operative and community development approaches to resolve disputes and build better partnerships through solutions-focused thinking.
• Events and Training Training courses, workshops and networking events delivered for small groups at local venues, including bespoke sessions, half-day workshops (£420/£600) and full-day workshops (£600/£1,000).
• Consultancy Services Hourly or daily consultancy services with advisers having authority to negotiate projects and prices; £60/hour or £420/day for co-ops/social enterprises under £10m turnover, £120/hour or £600/day for other organisations, plus 20% VAT.
• BUILD Networking Programme Networking programme in Leicestershire connecting co-operatives and social enterprises, including a Connect, Collaborate, Co-create networking event in Coalville on 30 July 2026.
• Growth Accelerator for Social Entrepreneurs Accelerator programme providing free support sessions for social entrepreneurs, delivered in partnership with a university.
• Women Mean Business Support programme specifically designed for women entrepreneurs running or starting social enterprises and co-operatives.
• Business Support for Coops Support programme delivered in partnership with Co-operatives UK and The Co-operative Bank offering up to 12 days of bespoke support, training and mentoring for co-operatives, including start-ups, existing co-ops and businesses converting to co-operative ownership.
• Work.Live.Leicestershire (WiLL) Programme assisting economically inactive and unemployed people in rural Leicestershire with tailored support for job search, training or employment, delivered with seven partner organisations.
• SEW Leicestershire Social enterprise support programme commissioned by Leicestershire County Council providing advice, registration assistance and operational support to social enterprises and community businesses in Leicestershire.
• Multiply Countability Numeracy programme helping parents and carers build children's confidence with numbers through the National Numeracy Family Maths Toolkit, delivered with National Numeracy as a Multiply Tutor programme.
• Co-op Living History Heritage project collecting stories, photos and objects from co-operative movement participants in Leicestershire, supported by Heritage Lottery Fund and launched in July 2021.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 60 individuals advised and mentored who now have their own enterprises through Work.Live.Leicestershire programme
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Co-operatives UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational trade association for co-operatives in the UK. CASE works in partnership with Co-operatives UK on the Business Support for Coops programme, helping start-ups, existing co-ops, and businesses looking to convert to co-operative ownership.
• The Co-operative BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest independent retailers in the UK. Partner with Co-operatives UK on the Business Support for Coops programme that offers up to 12 days of bespoke support, training and mentoring for co-operatives.
• Leicestershire County CouncilcoreOthersPublic sector body that commissions CASE to deliver business support services to social enterprises and community businesses in Leicestershire through programmes like SEW Leicestershire.
• Voluntary Action LeicesterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal infrastructure organization providing advice and resources. Listed as a supportive organization in CASE's self-service area resources.
• Work.Live.Leicestershire (WiLL) PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgramme involving 7 organizations: Vista (lead), CASE, b-inspired, Access All Areas Training CIC, Rural Community Council, Voluntary Action Leicestershire, and Workers' Educational Association. Assisted economically inactive and unemployed people in rural Leicestershire between 2019-2023.
• UK Co-op CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization for co-operative education. Joint initiative with Co-op News on the Co-op Women's Voices project showcasing women across the UK co-operative movement.
• Co-op NewsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-operative movement news publication. Joint initiative with UK Co-op College on the Co-op Women's Voices project, including CASE's Jane Avery as one of the 20 women interviewed.
• The Key FundminorOthersProvides online enterprise toolbox with business support tools and resources, plus news on social enterprise and social investment. Recommended in CASE's self-service resources.
• Big Society CapitalminorOthersProduced a resources map with links to useful resources on all aspects of developing a business. Recommended in CASE's self-service resources.
• Good FinanceminorOthersWebsite resource to help navigate the world of social investment, including diagnostic tools and resources on measuring social impact. Recommended in CASE's self-service resources.
• Social Value UKminorOthersExperts on social value providing training and support in social return on investment. Manages the Global Value Exchange platform. Recommended in CASE's self-service resources.
• Soft Touch ArtsminorOthersArts organization that hosted CASE's 40th anniversary celebration in November 2022. Long-standing partner in the Leicester arts and co-operative community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• The Key Fund: A social enterprise funder covering the East Midlands and Yorkshire providing grants and investment to community businesses. The Key Fund is recommended by CASE in its self-service resources and operates in the same East Midlands geography, making it a thematically and regionally adjacent peer.
• Wales Co-operative Centre: The Welsh equivalent of CASE, providing business support, training and advisory services to co-operatives and social enterprises within Wales. Operates the same mission and overlapping service portfolio as CASE but in a different UK nation, making it a strong regional peer.

Direct peers

• Locality: A national network supporting community-led organisations and social enterprises. Locality delivers advisory and membership services to community businesses, paralleling CASE's offer to community co-ops and social enterprises but with a national membership-based delivery model.
• School for Social Entrepreneurs: UK charity running programmes and courses to support social entrepreneurs and community enterprises. Like CASE, SSE delivers practical business-support and training to social enterprises, but operates nationally with a structured learning programme model versus CASE's regional advisory model.
• UnLtd: A leading UK foundation supporting social entrepreneurs through funding, mentoring and development programmes. UnLtd's award-and-mentor model for early-stage social entrepreneurs closely mirrors CASE's pre-startup and startup advisory offering for social enterprises in the East Midlands.
• Pilotlight: UK charity connecting charity and social-enterprise leaders with senior business volunteers for one-to-one mentoring. Pilotlight's structured mentoring model for charities overlaps directly with CASE's advisory model for social enterprises, though it operates at national scale through corporate volunteer partnerships.
• Plunkett Foundation: UK charity supporting rural community-owned co-operatives. Plunkett's focus on community co-ops, employee buyouts and democratic ownership models directly overlaps with CASE's cooperative-development work, though its geographic emphasis is rural and national rather than East Midlands-based.

Broad incumbents

• Social Enterprise UK: The national membership body for social enterprises in the UK. Social Enterprise UK operates across the entire UK social-enterprise sector and provides advisory, advocacy and networking services that overlap with CASE's social-enterprise development remit, but at a national rather than regional scale.
• Co-operatives UK: The national trade association for co-operatives across the UK. Co-operatives UK is both a strategic partner of CASE (running the joint Business Support for Coops programme) and the broader industry body in which CASE operates, providing overlapping advisory, advocacy and convening functions to cooperative enterprises.
• Co-op College: A UK-wide education charity delivering training and learning programmes for the cooperative movement. Co-op College is both a CASE partner (joint Co-op Women's Voices initiative) and a broader incumbent providing overlapping education and development services to cooperatives nationally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/co-operative-and-social-enterprise-development-agency-case-da-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CaSE)