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The Co-operative and Mutual Economy in London

11th February 2026 by Shaun Lowthian

In 2025, the Greater London Authority commissioned Co-operatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association to produce a report on the size and scale of the co-operative and mutual economy in London, to add city-level insight to existing national-level reporting.

This analysis looks at the current landscape of co-operative and mutual businesses in Greater London (“London” in this report). Based on primary data analysis and research, it explores the composition of the co-operative and mutual economy, how it has changed over time, and indicators of impact, particularly aligned with priority sectors and objectives of the London Growth Plan, including good work.

The research highlights that

  • There are 1,268 co-operatives, mutuals & employee-owned businesses in London, with 71,795 employees and a turnover of £24bn. 815 of these are co-ops, while 453 are employee-owned businesses.
  • The majority of London’s employee-owned businesses are in financial, professional, business services and tech sectors, consistent with the rest of the UK. Architects alone account for 53 employee-owned businesses.
  • Housing, clubs and members associations, sports and recreation are the most common sectors for co-ops in London. 36% of London co-ops are in housing, vs 11% in the UK. The Mayor’s Community Housing Fund played a role in 16 births of co-ops from 2019-24.
  • London has a lower density of co-ops compared to other UK regions. However, co-ops in the digital, media & comms, arts, culture and the experience economy have seen steady growth in numbers since 2011, more than in other regions.
  • Energy and environment has seen significant co-op growth, from zero in 2011 to 28 by 2025. Agricultural co-ops (eg allotments and urban food schemes) have doubled from 8 to 18 since 2011.
  • 56% of existing co-ops were formed before 2000. Co-op and employee-owned business numbers have remained between 800 & 850 since 2011, despite an increase in the overall number of businesses in London.
  • Employee-owned businesses are between 8% and 12% more productive per employee than other businesses, regardless of industry. These business structures correlate with higher turnover, improved employee wellbeing, greater investment in training, higher basic pay and an average £2700 p/a profit share. 11.6% of London’s EOBs are Living Wage accredited.
  • Co-ops are significantly more resilient over 5 years than other types of start-up. 80% of co-ops established in 2020 are still active, compared to only 40% of all businesses. Co-ops are four times more likely to be Living Wage accredited (3.8%, vs 1% of all businesses)

Read and download the full report below:

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London co-operative and mutual economy report
london-co-operative-and-mutual-economy-report.pdf