Staffordshire University Students' Union

What Staffordshire University Students' Union does

Staffordshire University Students' Union is a registered UK charity (Charitable Incorporated Organisation, charity number 1173330) that serves as the representative body for the student population of the University of Staffordshire, with 16,000+ members. Its primary function is twofold: (1) student representation and welfare, delivered through three full-time elected student officers (President, Vice President Education, Vice President Activities) and 100+ student-led activity groups; and (2) the operation of on-campus commercial and social venues — Ember Lounge, the LRV late-night venue, Verve, Squeezebox, and on-campus shops — that generate trading income and serve as the physical community hub.

The technical footprint is light: the SU operates a standard digital stack integrating SafeZone for student safety, Microsoft Single Sign-On and Microsoft Forms for internal workflows, a third-party payment processor for retail and venue transactions, and Abintegro's CareerCentre platform for employability services. There is no proprietary technology product, no software monetisation, and no AI/ML capability. Operational scale is delivered through a wholly-owned trading subsidiary, Staffordshire Students' Union Enterprises Limited (Companies House 13744343), which ring-fences commercial trading from charitable activity.

The business model is a hybrid of charitable funding and commercial trading. The university provides a block grant and in-kind support as the core operating subsidy; this is supplemented by revenue from food, beverage, venue hire, and retail operations routed through the trading subsidiary. Membership is free at the point of use, so there is no per-student pricing model or direct membership revenue. The SU also earns recognition income in the form of accreditations (Best Bar None Gold, NUS Green Impact Excellent, Disability Confident, Mindful Employer), which support positioning and compliance but are not material revenue lines.

Name

Staffordshire University Students' Union

Legal name

Staffordshire Students' Union

Website

https://staffsunion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Staffordshire University Students' Union is a UK-registered charity (CIO 1173330) that represents and serves the 16,000+ students of the University of Staffordshire through elected officers, 100+ activity groups, and on-campus venues including a late-night venue and shops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Student Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

University/College Club Sports Programs (MPAKACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Off-Campus Housing Support & Landlord Relations (EDALACAJ)

Keywords

• Student union services
• Student representation
• Campus venues
• Student activities
• Higher education support

Headquarters

HQ city

Stoke-on-Trent

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Trading Services Revenue: Revenue generated from food and drink sales in Ember Lounge, Verve, LRV, the Union shops on College Road and Leek Road, and ticket sales from events. All profits are reinvested into the Union.
2. Block Grant from University: Received from the University to support the Union's role in student academic representation. This is a primary funding source alongside trading revenue.
3. In-Kind Support: Space and services provided by the university, valued in-kind rather than as direct funding.
4. Consolidated Accounts - Enterprises Ltd: Staffordshire Students' Union Enterprises Ltd is a wholly owned trading subsidiary that handles trading with non-students (advertisers, landlords). Surplus is donated back to the charity via Gift Aid.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Staffordshire University Students' Union is a not-for-profit charitable organisation that represents and supports 16,000+ students at the University of Staffordshire. It delivers independent academic advice and representation, runs 100+ student-led clubs, societies and sports clubs, and operates on-campus hospitality venues (Ember Lounge, LRV, Verve, Squeezebox) and shops. All revenue from trading and a university block grant is reinvested into student services.

Product overview

Staffordshire Students' Union operates as a single unified digital platform (www.staffsunion.com) serving 16,000+ students at the University of Staffordshire. The platform provides a comprehensive suite of student services organized around several interconnected offerings: the core website serving as the central hub for accessing clubs and societies, advice services, and events; physical venues including Ember Lounge, LRV & Verve nightclub, Squeezebox, and campus shops; media operations through OMG Radio; accommodation services via GreenPad; and skills development through an eLearning hub. All services are delivered through the main website platform with integrated authentication via University SSO, supplemented by dedicated spaces for specific functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OMG Radio: Student-run radio station operated by the Students' Union
• Ember Lounge
• LRV (Leek Road Venue)
• Verve
• Squeezebox
• GreenPad
• SafeZone

Products and services

• Advice Service Free, impartial, and confidential support service providing academic advice, housing help, money guidance, and wellbeing support to University of Staffordshire students.
• Clubs and Societies Over 100 student-led activity groups, sports clubs and societies that students can join, participate in and help govern.
• Ember Lounge Student venue offering food, drinks and entertainment including karaoke hosted by DJ Sherz.
• LRV and Verve Nightclub venue and event space hosting welcome events, club nights and live entertainment on the Leek Road campus.
• Squeezebox Student venue providing refreshments and social space on campus.
• Campus Shops Union shops located on College Road and Leek Road offering merchandise, food and daily essentials.
• OMG Radio Student-run radio station operated by the union, broadcasting music and student content.
• GreenPad Student Accommodation Student accommodation service helping students find housing options.
• eLearning Hub Online learning platform offering skills development courses including Microsoft Office Specialist, Adobe Certified Associate and entrepreneurship certifications.
• Volunteering Programme Opportunities for students to volunteer in their community, developing skills and experience while making a difference.
• Online Shop E-commerce platform for purchasing Staffordshire University merchandise and clothing.
• Elected Student Officers and Academic Representation Three elected student officers (President and two Vice Presidents) plus course, subject and council representatives who represent students in university governance.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of StaffordshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Students' Union is the representative body for all students at the University of Staffordshire. The University provides a block grant to support the Union's work in academic representation. The Union operates on University campus and receives in-kind support including space and services.
• Domino's PizzaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvertiser displayed on the Students' Union website, indicating a commercial advertising partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Leeds Students' Union: One of the largest UK students' unions with a much broader venue and service footprint. Comparable as a scaled-up version of the same operating model, useful for understanding upper-bound SU economics.
• Students' Union UCL (UCLSU): Students' union at a major UK research university with a wide array of services, venues, and a much larger membership. Comparable in structure but operates at a very different scale.

Others

• Unite Students: UK provider of purpose-built student accommodation and associated student experience services. Relevant adjacency given the Union's GreenPad housing service and shared student-services ecosystem.
• National Union of Students (NUS): The national umbrella body for UK students' unions. Comparable as the sector-level trade and representative organisation that awards programmes such as NUS Green Impact referenced in the Union's credentials.

Direct peers

• University of Wolverhampton Students' Union: West Midlands-based students' union operating an analogous model of elected officers, student activities, and on-campus venues. Useful comparable for regional UK SU economics.
• Manchester Metropolitan Students' Union: Students' union at a UK modern university with a similar scale of membership, venues, and elected officer governance — a close operating peer for benchmarking SU economics and student engagement.
• University of Derby Students' Union: Students' union at another UK post-1992 university in the Midlands region, with a similar membership structure, venue mix, and reliance on a single host institution — directly comparable in size and operating context.
• Keele University Students' Union: Students' union at a Staffordshire-adjacent university with comparable services, venues, and elected-officer governance — a geographically proximate peer for regional benchmarking.
• Nottingham Trent Students' Union: Large UK post-1992 university students' union operating a comparable model of elected officers, clubs/societies, advice services, and on-campus venues. Directly comparable in mission, governance, and revenue mix.
• Birmingham City University Students' Union: Mid-sized UK students' union at a city-based modern university, running comparable advice, representation, and venue operations. Highly relevant as a directly comparable operator in a similar urban setting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/staffsstudentsunion

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Staffordshire University Students' Union