Coalville C.A.N

What Coalville C.A.N does

Coalville C.A.N is a member-owned Community Benefit Society (cooperative) operating from CAN HQ in Coalville, Leicestershire, UK. Founded in 2020 with 14 employees, the organization functions as a community regeneration hub providing retail space for over 80 local artists and craftspeople through its MAKERS sub-brand, rentable meeting and workshop spaces, gallery exhibitions, and a broad portfolio of funded community programs spanning enterprise support (I CAN Achieve), disability services (I CAN Create), digital inclusion (CAN Digital), youth engagement (Duke of Edinburgh, Holiday Activity Fund), environmental initiatives (GREEN 67), and family wellbeing services.

The organization's revenue model is hybrid and characteristic of UK community enterprises. Earned income comes from retail sales via MAKERS (a physical shop and Shopify-powered e-commerce store), space hire at tiered rates (£2.50 per person for community groups, £10/hr for community groups and startups, £20/hr for commercial or funded use), and £25 lifetime memberships that grant co-ownership and AGM voting rights. The balance of funding comes from grants and contracts from sources including Arts Council England, the National Lottery Community Fund, Leicestershire County Council, NWLDC, Macmillan, and the Community Shares Booster Scheme. There is no proprietary technology stack of note — operations rest on Shopify for e-commerce, Bookwhen for activity bookings, and standard social/email channels. The underlying "technology" is a physical three-floor community hub (gallery, workshop, retail) plus a cooperative governance structure with a 5-person local board.

The go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial: reach is generated through local events, the Coalville Theatre Festival, Coalville Public Radio, partnerships with schools and local CICs, and word-of-mouth across North West Leicestershire. Customer segments span local artists and craftspeople (primary), local community members, job seekers, young people aged 11-25, and arts/culture participants. The organization holds FCA registration as a Community Benefit Society (ref: 8536) and HMRC charitable tax status (ref: ZD31944), and has brought two buildings into community ownership since inception.

Name

Coalville C.A.N

Legal name

Coalville CAN CBS

Website

https://coalvillecan.coop

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coalville C.A.N is a member-owned Community Benefit Society operating from CAN HQ in Coalville, Leicestershire, UK. It runs MAKERS retail for 80+ local artists, hires event/workshop spaces, and delivers funded community programs including youth services, digital inclusion, family wellbeing, and the Arts Council England-funded Changing Places arts consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Coalville

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales (MAKERS): Operating a retail outlet selling handcrafted products made by over 80 local artists and craftspeople, offering ceramics, glass art, paintings, woodcraft, metalwork, and more.
2. Spaces for Hire: Hiring out meeting rooms, workshop spaces, and event spaces at CAN HQ. Pricing varies by user type: community groups, social clubs, and commercial users.
3. Grant Funding and Contracts: Projects funded by a mix of grant funding and contracts from organizations including National Lottery Community, Leicestershire County Council, NWLDC, Macmillan, and others.
4. Community Share Offers: Community share offers bring ownership, voting rights, and accountability to local communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Coalville C.A.N. operates CAN HQ as a multi-purpose community hub in Coalville, Leicestershire, providing a MAKERS retail outlet for over 80 local artists and craftspeople, hireable meeting and event spaces, a gallery and workshop, and a Lifetime Membership scheme. Alongside these physical offerings it delivers a wide range of named community programmes spanning enterprise, wellbeing, youth, environment and digital inclusion, supported by grant funding from bodies including Arts Council England, the National Lottery and Leicestershire County Council.

Product overview

Coalville CAN is a Community Benefit Society operating primarily from CAN HQ in Coalville, Leicestershire. The organization offers a diverse portfolio of programs and services centered on community regeneration. Core offerings include MAKERS, a retail space selling handcrafted items from over 80 local creatives (ceramics, glass art, paintings, woodcraft, metalwork); Spaces for Hire for meetings, events, and coworking; and a Gallery with rotating exhibitions. The organization runs significant community programs including I CAN Achieve (enterprise/employment support), I CAN Create (disability support), CAN Digital (digital inclusion), GREEN 67 (environmental projects), and Youth Voice. Major initiatives include the Coalville Theatre Festival, the Changing Places arts program (Arts Council England funded), Community Publishing (supporting local writers), and Alternative Family Wellbeing Hub. The organization is FCA registered as a Community Benefit Society and holds charitable tax status from HMRC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MAKERS: Bespoke retail outlet showcasing and selling handcrafted/designed products made by local artists and craftspeople. The focus is on promoting makers and encouraging success of creative enterprise.
• CAN HQ
• Changing Places
• Coalville Theatre Festival
• Coalville CAN Community Publishing

Products and services

• MAKERS

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 buildings brought into community ownership
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Forest CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Changing Places consortium, working to connect communities across North West Leicestershire through arts and culture. Contributes to green space initiatives.
• Macmillan Cancer SupportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing cancer support projects offering activities and resources for those living with or affected by cancer to enhance wellbeing.
• NWL GP FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare federation partner in the Changing Places consortium working to connect communities through arts and culture.
• Our Co-opcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-operative partner in the Changing Places consortium contributing to community cultural initiatives.
• Coalville Public RadiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer-run radio station broadcasting from studio on first floor of CAN HQ. Partner in Changing Places consortium and provides ongoing promotional support.
• Oh Sew Splendid CICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Interest Company providing sewing workshops and support from workshop space at CAN HQ.
• FiLiGi (Find it, Live it, Give it)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth-led charity working in Coalville to help young people (25 and under) find their passions. Partner operating at CAN HQ.
• TH!NK FCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial enterprise partner working on Multiply numeracy confidence program and sharing thinking tools with the community.
• CASE (Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Ian Wilson works with CASE to support other community enterprises and co-operatives.
• Gary Clarke CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChoreographer whose dance theatre work 'Coal' inspires student performances for Coalville Theatre Festival, connecting young people to local mining heritage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Locality: National UK membership body for community-led organisations including community anchor organisations. Comparable at the sector level as Coalville CAN operates within Locality's community-anchor typology.
• Plunkett Foundation: UK charity supporting rural and community-owned co-ops including community benefit societies. Operates the Community Shares programme that underpins Coalville CAN's community share offer model.
• Co-operatives UK: UK apex body representing co-operatives and community benefit societies. Not a direct operator but a structural peer and Coalville CAN's sector umbrella, providing certification, advocacy, and peer learning for community cooperatives.

Direct peers

• The Old Fire Station: Oxford community arts venue and social-enterprise hub run as a charitable company. Comparable multi-purpose community space offering creative programmes, gallery, and shared workspace to a local audience.
• Real Junk Food Project: UK-wide community food network operating community cafés and pay-as-you-feel venues with strong volunteer engagement. Comparable cooperative ethos, volunteer-heavy model, and community-building focus.
• Create London: East London arts and community organisation supporting creative enterprise, residencies, and local cultural programmes. Comparable mission profile around creative enterprise and place-based regeneration.
• Knowle West Media Centre: Bristol-based community benefit organisation running a multi-purpose arts, media, and enterprise hub from a community-owned building. Directly comparable as a UK community-led hub combining creative programmes, venue hire, and local enterprise support.
• Eastside Community Heritage: Birmingham-based community heritage and arts charity delivering participatory programmes, exhibitions, and community publishing. Comparable as a Midlands-rooted community organisation blending arts, heritage, and local engagement.
• Brixton East: Community-led creative space and events venue in South London operated as a social enterprise. Comparable as a brick-and-mortar community venue hosting exhibitions, workshops, and small-business activity.
• Impact Hub Birmingham: UK Impact Hub network member operating a community coworking and events space with a social-mission focus. Comparable in combining space hire, events, and enterprise/community programming under one roof.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CoalvilleCANCBS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2Zjo3RgRdZ-TnIETBTyVpg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CoalvilleCAN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coalville-c-a-n-cbs
• Instagraminstagram.com/coalville_can

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Coalville C.A.N