Funding the project
how you can help
We are raising capital to open a worker-owned wholefood grocery in Leicester. Here is the financial outline and how you can help.
Where the funding comes from
£75,000
Cooperative lending on value-aligned terms, targeted repayment over 5-7 years.
£150,000
Unsecured loan stock issued to members and supporters. You don't need a large sum to help. If 150 people lent £1,000 each, that's £150,000. Thirty people lending £5,000 gets to the same place.
£5,000
Pledged donations from supporters to fund initial development, community outreach, and startup costs.
Initial Startup Costs
Opening the shop needs a one-off capital investment: fitting out the building, buying opening stock and holding a cash reserve while trade builds. We're keeping the fit-out low by using second-hand equipment and simple materials wherever they'll do the job, and by doing some of the work ourselves. A full kitchen waits until the shop is trading.
Figures updated October 2026. We haven't taken on a building yet, so these figures are based on a unit currently to let in Leicester: around 210 m² on the ground floor, on a main road with parking, at £50,000 a year rent and about £7,800 in business rates. They'll change once we have a site.
Minimum to open
£230,000
Social loan, loan stock and donations needed to open the doors.
Full raise target
£260,000
Adds a second round of loan stock in the first year of trading, to keep a cash buffer while trade builds.
Operating Forecast & Viability
| Forecast Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Revenue | £772,766 | £1,457,984 | £1,716,277 |
| Gross Profit | £230,515 | £450,506 | £547,953 |
| Operating Costs | £354,034 | £401,627 | £449,391 |
| Net Profit / (Loss) | −£123,519 | £48,878 | £98,563 |
| Year-End Cash | £60,540 | £72,590 | £147,734 |
Five years of figures, customer numbers, basket spend and what happens if trade is slower.
The first year will lose money while trade builds. We expect to reach about 900 customers a week by the end of year one, and to break even at around 880. From year two the shop should make a surplus, which goes back into wages and keeping prices fair.
These figures assume nine worker-members on about 30 hours a week, an average basket of £25 and six months rent-free while we fit out.
Why people are funding SPRoUT
"I've found myself in a situation where I've got some spare money to invest. I'd much rather it was helping out a worthwhile project, than it was just sitting in a building society. I'm a fan of co-operative ownership and I think that there should be more of it. And I can see that there's a gap in the market in Leicester for a project like Sprout. The more working capital they've got in ethical loan stock, the easier it's going to be for them to get to break-even. I appreciate that not everyone who wants to support Sprout has spare money, but for those who have, I think it's a great ethical, local, place to keep it."
Help us build a grocery owned by its workers
We are actively seeking values-aligned partners who can provide ethical loans, purchase loan stock, or pledge donations to get SPRoUT off the ground.
Our full financial plan sets out the figures and how loan stock works. If you'd like to discuss investment options, please get in touch.
Stay in touch
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