Surplus supermarket operator Company Shop Group has reached a milestone of redistributing a billion items since launch in 1974.
That includes 117 million items in the past 12 months alone, amounting to 47,000 tonnes of food & drink, according to its latest impact report.
The group’s commercial arm operates a network of member-based Company Shop supermarkets which sell discounted surplus from over 800 brands, retailers and manufacturers.
It also has a not-for-profit arm, Community Shop, a network of 15 UK stores aiming to tackle food insecurity by selling deeply discounted food and essentials to members meeting means-tested criteria.
The group has paid £51m to partner brands, retailers and manufacturers for surplus over the past 12 months, while saving 121,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions through avoided food waste, according to the report.
“Each year, the UK produces around 10.7 million tonnes of food waste, presenting a potentially catastrophic threat to our planet, contributing significantly to carbon emissions and the unnecessary use of natural resources,” said Company Shop group MD Chris Burns.
“Our purpose has always been clear: to stop surplus becoming waste by creating an effective and easy solution for the industry to redistribute surplus, at scale. Every product saved from waste represents not just an environmental win, but a practical demonstration that surplus can be managed differently.
“I am immensely proud of what Company Shop Group continues to achieve, not only this year, but over more than five decades of pioneering work to tackle food loss and waste.”
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