A family-owned northern England supermarket chain of about 25 shops, founded in 1847 and based in Preston.
Booths is a supermarket chain based in the north of England. It runs 25 stores across Lancashire, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Cheshire, and describes itself as the UK's oldest family grocer. It also has in-store cafes and speciality food shops, its own-label ranges, and has sold products through Amazon Fresh and supplied the food hall at Fenwick in Newcastle, according to a 2017 newspaper report. A 2026 article says it is exploring wider distribution of Booths-brand ranges such as ready meals, butchery, tea and coffee, wine and craft beers.
E. H. Booth and Co. was founded in June 1847 by Edwin Henry Booth, who opened a shop in Blackpool, and the local newspaper says it began as a tea supplier. It became a private limited company in 1896. Staff were invited to become shareholders in 1920, and the company has stayed owned by the Booth family and staff since. Edwin J. Booth, the executive chairman, is the fifth generation, and Emma Booth, chief brand officer, is described as sixth generation.
In 2026 it unveiled a new look with the tagline "The Family Grocers", a richer shade of Booths Blue and a more prominent lion emblem to reinforce heritage, trust and quality, rolling out through 2026. The article did not give a formal mission or values statement. Wikipedia says it focuses on local sourcing, customer service and product knowledge, and notes its own-label milk was rebranded as Fair Milk in 2014 and paid farmers a higher farm-gate price than any other UK supermarket at the time. It is nicknamed the Waitrose of the North.
The head office is on Longridge Road in Ribbleton, Preston, Lancashire, which opened in early 2006. Fifteen of its 25 stores are in Lancashire, including Chorley, Fulwood, Garstang, Longridge, Longton and Penwortham. Wikipedia reports 3,242 employees, and a 2017 newspaper report spoke of about 2,800 regional jobs, so check for current figures. It also notes recent store closures including MediaCityUK in 2021, Hale Barns in 2024 and Ripon in 2025, and the local report says Storm Desmond floods in 2015 damaged its Keswick and Kirkby Lonsdale shops.
Roles include store teams in the shops and cafes, butchery and food counters, and head office work in Preston. Because it is a smaller chain, people often work closely with local producers and customers. The pages we read did not list roles, so check Booths' own website for current vacancies.
Website: www.booths.co.uk
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