S4labour, the UK-based hospitality workforce software provider, has raised £4 million in growth funding from YFM Equity Partners to expand its reach across pubs, restaurants, and hospitality chains. As the UK sector continues to struggle with staffing shortages—over 107,000 vacancies were reported in early 2024—this investment comes at a critical time for operators looking to boost efficiency, control costs, and improve guest experiences.
The Oxfordshire-based SaaS company simplifies rota planning, payroll, and HR visibility through a tailored digital platform. Designed for hospitality managers who often juggle spreadsheets, outdated tools, and constant shift changes, S4labour hospitality workforce software is purpose-built to reduce operational stress and improve service quality.
The funding will help S4labour expand product functionality, enhance its payroll and HR features, and grow its presence in the UK market. The company currently supports more than 250 hospitality businesses, including well-known brands like JKS Restaurants, Oakman Inns, MJMK, and The Revel Collective.
YFM’s investment will accelerate S4labour’s growth into larger hospitality chains and managed pub groups. Their experience in scaling SaaS ventures is expected to play a key role as the company ramps up sales, marketing, and product development.
“S4labour has a strong product-market fit and a clear roadmap. With digitalisation sweeping through hospitality, they’re well-placed to capture a bigger share of the market,” said Mike Clarke, Investment Partner at YFM. “With a new leadership team and evolving platform, this is the right time to scale.”
From Hospitality Pain Point to Digital Solution
S4labour was founded in 2011 by Alastair Scott, a hospitality veteran who saw first-hand how poor staff management tools were draining resources and hurting service. What started as a labour optimisation consultancy has grown into a full-fledged SaaS platform built specifically for the hospitality sector.
Scott’s vision was simple: give managers the tools they need to plan rotas, handle payroll, and monitor labour costs—all from one platform. That mission continues to drive the business today.
The company recently appointed Mark Jensen, former VP Sales at Fourth, to lead the next stage of growth. His arrival, along with new hires in sales and marketing, marks a shift toward larger enterprise clients and deeper market penetration.
A key upgrade for the platform is the rollout of Project EVO, a redesigned system that makes rota management and workforce planning faster and more intuitive. EVO features a clean user interface, real-time Gantt chart views, and consolidated dashboards showing budgets, sales, weather, and staff data—all in one place.
The system also includes enhanced multi-site transfer tools and faster load times, helping operators with multiple venues move quickly and manage complexity. These improvements reflect S4labour’s ongoing effort to directly address the pain points faced by hospitality managers.
Staying Ahead of the Competition
The workforce management space in hospitality is competitive, with players like Planday, Deputy, and Rotaready. But S4labour sets itself apart through its deep sector roots and founder-led product development, designed around the needs of operators, not generic business models.
By embedding best practices and offering real-time labour and sales analytics, the platform helps users forecast staffing needs and control wage costs—which can consume up to 40% of revenue in hospitality.
Looking ahead, S4labour plans to expand its enterprise offering, grow the product team, and explore the use of AI and machine learning for more predictive labour planning and shift optimisation. The company is focused on giving hospitality businesses the tools to improve not just internal processes, but also customer satisfaction.
“We’re excited to welcome YFM as a partner,” said Alastair Scott, S4labour’s founder. “Their experience with SaaS and growth-focused strategy will help us bring our tools to more operators across the UK. We built this platform to fix real problems in hospitality—and that mission hasn’t changed.”
With its headquarters in Banbury, S4labour continues to evolve its software to meet new market demands. The team remains committed to delivering high-impact tools that empower hospitality teams to work smarter, reduce labour friction, and focus on what matters most: the guest experience.
