Licence Opportunity

Wholefood PLanet Limited is a social licence opportunity, specifically developed by Social Firms UK for organisations which want to develop a business to employ people who require support due to severe disadvantages in the labour market. It was developed as part of the Flagship Firms programme funded by the Phoenix Development Fund. More information on replication as a form of business startup can be found on the Social Firms UK website here.

Applicants are advised that entering into a business venture involves financial and commercial risk, and the success of such a venture will be very much due to the Applicant’s ability and commitment.

Wholefood Planet does not give any guarantee or warranty with regard to potential sales, cost or profit illustrations provided during the course of any negotiations and nor do such figures constitute either a forecast or form part of any contractual obligation.

Applicants are advised to seek both financial and legal advice before entering into any agreement with Wholefood Planet to ensure that they are aware of their personal and corporate obligations.

It is a prime condition of the licence that the licensee operates the business as a Social Firm.

A further requirement from the beginning is that a minimum of 25% of the paid employees will be people requiring support and the licensee will adhere to the values of the sector as promoted by Social Firms UK, namely Enterprise, Employment and Empowerment. The criteria to these values are reflected in the Social Firm Accreditation Scheme that Applicants will need to commit to undertaking. As a “flagship Social Firm” the business will implement the Social Firm Performance Dashboard (an internal performance management system) and also aim to assist employees to move off benefits into employment.

Applicants will be required to undertake research in their proposed area of operation to determine the potential demand for a Wholefood Planet warehouse store. Based on this research the licensee will be required to provide a business plan and indicate how it will be obtaining adequate funds to finance the business.

Furthermore, the business plan, in addition to sales expenditure and profit projections, will be required to illustrate how it is going to achieve the aims of the employment creation for disabled people within a set timescale.

The venture is being operated by Wholefood Planet, a trading subsidiary of Social Firms UK Ventures Ltd.