Greggs has opened its 30th Outlet shop, selling day-old food products at reduced prices, on east London’s Cundy Road in Newham.
Greggs’ Outlet shops, which first launched in 1972, aim to help those on tight budgets, in socially deprived areas, while also reducing food waste.
Greggs is working towards having 38 of them open by 2023 and 50 by 2025.
The Outlet shops are currently predominantly situated in the north of England and Midlands, including in Newcastle, Birmingham and Glasgow.
A share of the profits from each one goes to the food-to-go retailer’s charitable arm, the Greggs Foundation, to be passed on to local community groups to tackle food poverty. About £370,000 was raised for charity through the Outlet shops in 2021.
Outlet customers bought 1.1 million sweet products, 1.1 million sandwiches and one million savoury products in 2021. In total that year, 880 tonnes of food was passed on to the stores, allowing Greggs to redistribute 28% of its unsold food, up from 12% in 2018.
“As a leading food on the go retailer in the UK, it’s important that we do our bit to put an end to food waste and help to tackle poverty, hunger and deprivation across all the communities we operate in,” said Greggs CEO Roisin Currie.
“We have three channels for giving good food a second chance: we donate it to charities who can make use of it; we offer it to our customers at a discount via the Too Good To Go app; and we sell it at a discount through our Outlet Shops.
“The expansion of our Outlet shop estate is a core part of the Greggs Pledge and a testament to the commitment we make every day in supporting our customers’ health, our communities, and our planet.”
Greggs Foundation manager Tracy Lynch said: “The funding we receive from Greggs Outlets directly contributes to our community hub programme, ensuring that profits generated by Greggs Outlets stay within the local community to help address issues of poverty and inequality.
“Money will be put towards one-year grants, which are typically used to cover salaries, overheads or community projects, that really make an impact in local communities close to Outlet shops.”
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