Company Shop Leicester, which is part of the UK’s leading redistribution organisation Company Shop Group, is marking its one-year anniversary, having saved members over £6million collectively since it first opened its doors a year ago today.
The store has since redistributed an incredible 2,665 tonnes of surplus items, which is the equivalent of 982 Olympic swimming pools. This means that perfectly good surplus food and household products, purchased by Company Shop Group from the FMCG supply chain including from major retailers and manufacturers, have been prevented from needlessly going to waste.
To mark the occasion, Company Shop Leicester celebrated with members with cake and refreshments in-store, and a range of exclusive ‘1st birthday’ offers were available to members on the day.
Shelves in the store are stocked with heavily discounted food and household products from big name brands such as Marks and Spencer, Nestlé, Iceland and Tesco. All the products sold are in date and perfectly good to eat or use, but are deemed ‘surplus’ and may have otherwise gone to waste due to incorrect or wonky labelling, seasonal packaging or overstock – amongst many other reasons. As a result, products are on average 50% off the normal retail price, helping to stretch hard-working family budgets.
Uniquely for the store, Company Shop Leicester also comprises of the Group’s second distribution centre. At 50,000 square feet, the centre serves the growing portfolio of Company Shop stores across the Midlands and beyond, including its newest store in Southampton, which opened last week.
The store operates on a membership basis and is open to those working in the NHS, emergency services, social care, FMCG supply chain, British Armed Forces, prison services and employees of charities. To ensure that the discounted food and household products reach those most in need, the store is also open to those receiving means tested benefits.
Anyone eligible for membership is encouraged to sign up for free online, and once registered, membership lasts a lifetime.
As well as providing low-cost food and products to those who need it the most, Company Shop Leicester has helped local businesses to do something positive with their surplus, in addition to bringing around 100 new jobs to the area.
Company Shop Leicester is part of a network of what is now 14 stores. The Group’s latest impact report revealed that over 80million surplus items were redistributed across stores over the course of 2020, saving 28,073 tonnes of surplus from going to waste.
Company Shop Leicester Store Manager, Ben Hughes said:
