Local Life

What Local Life does

Local Life (operating as Local Life Online Ltd) is a UK-based private limited company founded in 2020 that operates a local business directory and online marketplace connecting independent SMBs with local shoppers. Its core product is a location-based directory covering multiple UK counties — Cheshire East/West, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Greater London, and Staffordshire — where consumers can discover listed independents across categories including Health & Beauty, Home/Interiors, Hairdressing, Food & Beverage, Retail, and Attractions. The platform runs editorial features such as Town Guides (e.g., Didsbury), a blog (Local Latest), podcasts, and a newsletter; it also operates a sub-brand, Cheshire Vibe, focused on the Cheshire region with its own branded channels.

The platform is built on a commodity WordPress stack: WooCommerce for e-commerce, GeoDirectory for location-based listings, Elementor for content, Stripe for payments, plus Google Analytics, Hotjar, and reCAPTCHA for analytics and security. It has no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed proprietary technology. Businesses self-register and create listings (with photos, descriptions, contact details, and special offers), and consumers discover them through location-based search and curated editorial.

Monetization centers on subscription-based business listings (pricing not publicly disclosed), supplemented by a 'Bids' promotional feature and an affiliate program (Promotekit). Distribution is self-serve and product-led, with no sales intervention, and is amplified by organic social (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), content marketing, town guides, podcasts, and email. The company has 1-10 employees, is headquartered in Congleton (with a second address in Stoke on Trent), and has not disclosed any external funding, acquisitions, or leadership changes.

Name

Local Life

Legal name

LOCAL LIFE ONLINE LTD

Website

https://locallife.online

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Business Directory & Marketplace

SIC

Retail-Nonstore Retailers (5960), Services-Personal Services (7200)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Search & Business Directories (BPAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Services & Experiences Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAD), Local SEO (Maps, Citations, Reviews) (BPAFAJAD)

Keywords

• Local business directory
• Online marketplace platform
• Independent retailer listings
• Community shop local
• Business listing subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

England

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Business Listings: Local businesses pay to list their services on the platform, gaining visibility to local consumers searching for independent shops and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Local Life operates an online directory and marketplace platform that connects independent local businesses (retailers, artisans, service providers) with nearby shoppers across the UK through location-based search, business listings, curated town guides, editorial blog content, and podcasts. Independent businesses subscribe to create enhanced listings with photos, descriptions, contact details, special offers, and trading hours to gain digital visibility and reach local customers.

Product overview

Local Life is a local places platform combining a business directory and online marketplace. The core offering is the Local Life Marketplace & Directory, which connects shoppers with independent local businesses across the UK. Supporting this are Town Guides (curated area guides featuring highlighted businesses), the Local Latest Blog (editorial content on small business support and retail trends), Podcasts, a Business Listing Service (enabling businesses to create profiles), Bids (advertising/promotional bidding feature), and an Affiliate Program. The subsidiary brand Cheshire Vibe extends coverage specifically to the Cheshire region with dedicated local listings and content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cheshire Vibe: A regional brand/platform focused on Cheshire area local businesses

Products and services

• Business Listing Service A paid subscription service enabling independent local businesses (retailers, artisans, service providers) to register, create a profile, and list themselves on the Local Life directory and marketplace to gain digital visibility among nearby shoppers. Includes options for photos, business details, special offers, trading hours, and a multi-location franchise listing variant.
• Bids A platform feature that allows local businesses to post and manage bids for promotions or advertising opportunities on Local Life.
• Affiliate Program An affiliate/promoter program operated via Promotekit that allows external partners to promote Local Life in exchange for commissions or referral benefits.
• Cheshire Vibe A sub-brand of Local Life dedicated to the Cheshire region, providing Cheshire-focused local business listings, editorial content, and a separate branded social media presence for businesses and shoppers in that area.

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• North Cheshire Chamber of CommerceminorOthersLocal Life displays membership logo on the website, indicating affiliation with the North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce as a member business organization.
• Better Business ActminorOthersLocal Life shows support/affiliation with Better Business Act campaign, demonstrating commitment to responsible business practices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FreeIndex: UK-based local business directory where SMBs can create free and paid listings and consumers search by category and location, directly comparable to Local Life's directory core offering.
• Nextdoor: Hyperlocal community-led platform connecting neighbors and local businesses, the closest analogue to Local Life's community-focused local directory and marketplace model for independent businesses.
• TrustATrader: UK directory focused on vetted local trades and service businesses, directly comparable in serving UK independent service SMBs seeking consumer discovery.
• Hotfrog: Free and paid local business directory with category-based browsing and location targeting, structurally similar to Local Life's listing and discovery model.

Broad incumbents

• Foursquare: Location-based discovery platform combining consumer city guides with SMB location tools, comparable in blending editorial content with business listings for local discovery.
• Tripadvisor: Global incumbent in restaurant, café, attraction and hospitality discovery, directly competing for the food-and-beverage and attractions categories that anchor Local Life's consumer-facing offering.
• Yell.com: UK incumbent digital Yellow Pages offering paid business listings across all categories nationally, the most established UK SMB directory competitor with a much larger listing base and brand.
• Bing Places: Microsoft's local SMB listing platform integrated with Bing search and Maps, an incumbent offering a comparable directory surface to the one Local Life builds.
• Yelp: Global leader in consumer-review-driven local business discovery with broad SMB advertising offerings; a much larger-scale incumbent targeting the same UK SMB advertisers and shoppers.
• Google Business Profile: The dominant free local business listing and discovery layer powering Google Search and Maps; sets the baseline visibility expectation for every UK SMB and competes head-on with any paid directory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/locallifeonline
• Facebookfacebook.com/LocalLifeOnline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thisislocal
• Instagraminstagram.com/locallifeonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Local Life