There’s nothing like the feeling of bagging yourself a great bargain at the supermarket .
Everyone’s guilty of scouring the shelves at Tesco or Asda, looking for usually expensive items at dirt cheap prices.
But Manchester’s best kept secret could save you big, big bucks.
The Company Shop, which is tucked away on an industrial estate in Middleton, sells surplus food at discounted prices to reduce waste and give back to the community.
But there’s a catch, because you need to be a member to go and are only allowed to bring one guest in at a time.
What is The Company Shop?
The Company Shop sells surplus food and household items from other stores. The food costs about 60 per cent less than its recommended retail price, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Surplus stock includes items that are misshapen, close to their sell-by date or have damaged or incorrect promotional packaging.
The Company Shop sells items from places like ASDA, Morrisons, The Co-operative, M&S, Tesco, Nestlé, Ocado, Tetley, Young’s and Muller.
Who can shop there?
The shop is strictly members only, although members can bring one guest with them per visit.
To become a member, you must fit the following criteria:
- Be over 18 years of age
- Work in the emergency services – including the fire brigade, police and those employed directly by the NHS, or
- Be a current or retired employee by one of their partners – ie a company that supplies food to the Company Shop. The Company Shop has a long list of suppliers across the food industry, and its website advises people wanting to apply to be members to check with their employers to see if they are signed up to the membership scheme.
If you meet the above criteria, you can apply via this form www.companyshop.co.uk/company-shop/who-is-company-shop-for/membership-application-form .
Why do they sell surplus food?
The food industry throws away around 3.5m tonnes of food away every year.
The Company Shop aims to reduce this waste, and so sells the surplus food on at low prices.
If it didn’t do this, the food would end up in landfill.
Does the Company Shop have any plans to expand its membership criteria?
As stock is limited, the Company Shop believe it is important to follow strict rules on membership.
There are currently five Company Shop stores in the UK, with a sixth due to open in September.
When the store opening, Company Shop director Tom Rumboll told the Manchester Evening News: “We’ve had such a warm reception in Middleton.
“Members have already signed up from more than forty local businesses, but I would encourage anyone working in food manufacturing locally to get in touch and join us, so they too can get good food at great prices.
“We look forward to continuing to grow our business and deliver social, environmental and economic benefits to this community.”
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