Greggs has opened a new outlet shop on Cundy Road, East London, which sells unsold, day-old food at a reduced price.
The outlets are a company-wide initiative set up in 1972 to support ‘socially deprived areas’ and redistribute unsold food items. They are predominantly found in the north and Midlands, with locations including Newcastle, Birmingham, and Glasgow.
The move takes the total number of outlet stores in the UK to 30. Even more are in the pipeline as Greggs works towards its target of having 38 by 2023 and 50 by 2025.
They are described as an integral part of the Greggs Pledge to build ‘stronger, healthier communities and support those most in need’. They help families on a tight budget spend less while still having access to quality food, Greggs added.
A share of the profits from each Outlet shop is donated to The Greggs Foundation, which is then passed to local community organisations. In 2021, approximately £370,000 was raised for charity through Outlet shops. The chosen partner organisations are those focused on tackling food poverty and providing food and support for people in Greggs local communities near its Outlet shops.
Customers bought 1.1m sweet products, 1.1m sandwiches and one million savoury products from Greggs Outlet shops in 2021, helping the food-to-go retailer boost its redistribution rate of unsold food to 28% - up from just 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.
She noted that Greggs has three channels for “giving food a second chance”, including donating it to charities, offering it to customers at a discount via the Too Good To Go app and selling it via its Outlet estate.
“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, that we are on track to deliver against our 2025 targets,” Currie added.
Tracy Lynch, Greggs Foundation Manager 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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