Forres Area Business Association c.i.c.

What Forres Area Business Association c.i.c. does

Forres Area Business Association c.i.c. (FABA) is a community interest company and private company limited by guarantee, founded in 2021 and registered at Forres Town Hall, High Street, Forres, Moray, with a stated catchment defined as the Forres Academy area. Its operational purpose is to develop and run a network for local businesses and organisations, serve as a collective voice in dealings with local authorities, development agencies and the public, and identify and support business development opportunities in tourism, culture, history, digital development and environmental matters. The entity is community-governed: it has no external shareholders, no venture or private equity ownership, and Member liability is capped at £1 in a winding-up scenario.

FABA's product surface is narrow and non-technical. It offers three functionally equivalent membership tiers — Individual, Authorised, and Corporate — each at a flat £40 annual subscription, plus an events program and a curated directory linking to external support resources (Business Gateway, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Find Business Support, Companies House, Net Zero Scotland). The underlying technology is a standard WordPress-based website (forresareabiz.co.uk), built by third-party agency 3rd Pixel Ltd, with integrations limited to Stripe for subscription payments, Mailchimp for newsletters, CookieYes for GDPR consent management, and Facebook Messenger chat. There is no proprietary platform, mobile app, or API.

The revenue model is a single stream — recurring annual membership subscriptions at £40 — with no advertising, sponsorship, grant funding, or commercial services disclosed. Membership acquisition is conducted through organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), the website, and email, with no paid acquisition evident. The company operates with 1-10 employees and a small volunteer-director governance structure; financial scale is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Forres Area Business Association c.i.c.

Legal name

Forres Area Business Association c.i.c.

Website

https://forresareabiz.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forres Area Business Association c.i.c. (FABA) is a 2021-founded community interest company running a membership-based business network for individuals, businesses, and organisations in the Forres, Moray area, with a flat £40 annual subscription across three tiers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Business Association / Trade Body Membership

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Business association
• Membership network
• Business advocacy
• Networking events
• Community interest company

Headquarters

HQ city

Forres

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions at £40 per year provide funds to support the activities of the company. Three forms of membership are available: Individual Member, Authorised Member, and Corporate Member. Each membership carries the same rights and obligations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Forres Area Business Association c.i.c. operates a membership-based network that supports and represents local businesses and organisations in the Forres area of Moray, Scotland. It sells annual memberships (Individual, Authorised, and Corporate tiers, each at £40 per year) and delivers networking events, a collective advocacy voice with local authorities and development agencies, and a curated directory of external business support resources. The entity is a community interest company limited by guarantee, governed by elected Directors, and operates for the benefit of the community rather than for profit.

Product overview

Forres Area Business Association c.i.c. is a community interest company providing a membership-based business networking and support service. The organization offers three membership tiers (Individual, Authorised, and Corporate) with equal rights and obligations at £40 annual subscription. Core services include a business events program, collective advocacy voice for local businesses, and curated business support resource links. The organization acts as a network hub connecting businesses across the Forres Academy catchment area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual membership for individuals subscribing in a personal capacity to support FABA's objects and interests. Carries voting rights at meetings and access to networking events and resources, with an annual subscription of £40.
• Authorised Membership Annual membership for individuals who run or are associated with an unincorporated business or organisation. Provides the same rights and obligations as other membership types at a £40 annual subscription.
• Corporate Membership Annual membership for companies and other incorporated bodies. Corporate members must nominate an individual as their Representative Corporate Member, with voting rights and access to FABA events and resources for a £40 annual subscription.
• FABA Events Programme Calendar of networking, business development, and community engagement events organised by FABA for members and the local business community in the Forres area.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Others

• Institute of Directors: UK membership body for company directors offering networking, training, policy voice, and director development. Comparable governance-focused membership model relevant to FABA's director-led structure but aimed at senior executives nationally.
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise: Scottish development agency supporting businesses and communities across the Highlands and Islands, including Moray where FABA operates. A regional policy and funding counterpart — FABA references HIE as a body to engage with collectively.
• Business Gateway: Scottish Government-funded service offering free advice and support to start-ups and SMEs. FABA lists it as a partner resource; an ecosystem peer providing complementary rather than competing services.
• Social Enterprise UK: UK membership body for social enterprises and community interest companies. Same c.i.c.-style community-benefit legal form as FABA, providing peer governance and policy support for the social-enterprise model FABA operates under.

Broad incumbents

• British Chambers of Commerce: National network of accredited chambers offering advocacy, networking, and international trade services to UK businesses. Same membership/advocacy model as FABA but with vastly greater geographic and policy reach.
• Scottish Council for Development and Industry: Scotland-wide economic development membership organisation representing business, public, and third-sector members. Comparable collective-voice role for Scottish businesses but at national scale, similar to FABA's regional advocacy mission.
• Confederation of British Industry: UK's premier business lobbying organisation representing members across sectors to government and policymakers. Same advocacy-with-membership-funding model as FABA but operating at the national Westminster policy level.

Regional players

• London Chamber of Commerce and Industry: One of the UK's oldest chambers, serving London-based SMEs with networking, advocacy, and trade services. Same chamber-association value proposition as FABA but operating in a far larger metropolitan market.
• Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce: Scotland-based accredited chamber providing networking, advocacy, and business support to Edinburgh businesses. Same local-business-membership-association model as FABA but in a different, much larger Scottish city.

Direct peers

• Federation of Small Businesses: The UK's leading membership organisation for small businesses and the self-employed. Closest direct peer — same subscription-based advocacy/networking model aimed at small business owners, though operating at national rather than town-level scale.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/forresareabiz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forresareabiz
• Instagraminstagram.com/forresareabiz

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Forres Area Business Association c.i.c.