I'm reading - Community Shop expands with Knottingley store set to open

21.11.2021 - News

Community Shop expands with Knottingley store set to open

Community Shop, an award-winning social enterprise operating seven social supermarkets across England, is set to open a new store in Knottingley, benefiting hundreds of local people on the cusp of food poverty.

The store, which is being opened thanks to the support of long-standing partner, The Coalfields Regeneration Trust, will be located on Hill Top on Pontefract Road in Knottingley (WF11 8EE) and will open to members on 15th December.

Community Shop Knottingley will provide eligible members of the local community with access to high-quality, low-cost food and household products, as well as giving wrap-around support through its life-changing personal development programmes that deliver real change for individuals and communities.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust, the only organisation in the UK dedicated to supporting former mining towns and villages, owns the property and is providing it on a rent-free basis as a contribution to support Community Shop as it delivers its wide-ranging community benefits. This latest partnership follows the successful opening of Community Shop Athersley, near Barnsley, in 2016.

Community Shop Knottingley is also supported Coca Cola Europacific Partners, Ocado, Bakkavor, Wakefield Council and WDH who have generously provided funding to help kick-start the new store. Once opened, Community Shop Knottingley will be self-sustaining and will create a long-lasting legacy in the community.

This will be the eighth Community Shop in the network, and the first to open in West Yorkshire. When the store openings it will serve around 750 members and create 8 new local jobs in the area.

Membership of Community Shop is open to people who live locally, receive welfare support, and are motivated to make a positive change to their lives. Members have access to heavily discounted surplus food and products, which have predominantly been donated by major retailers and manufacturers and may otherwise have gone to waste.

All items are perfectly good to eat or use but have become “surplus” for several reasons including incorrect or wonky labelling, seasonal packaging or overstock. Shoppers can expect to access items that are on average 50% off the normal retail price, helping to stretch family budgets further.

The revenue raised from the in-store sales will be invested into the Community Hub, where members can gain access to personal development support, with sessions including everything from cook clubs and home budgeting, to interview skills and business courses. The store will also house a Community Kitchen, offering wholesome hot meals to members and their families.

The Community Shop team will work closely with other local community groups in the area, as well as with the council, as it seeks to complement the work already being delivered in the region and to generate further positive social and economic impact.

Natalie Brown, Head of Community Shop said:

“We are so pleased to be opening Community Shop Knottingley, and particularly to be expanding our offer in Yorkshire, where our Community Shop began. The support we provide is focused around empowering and building stronger individuals and more confident communities and over the past year this has been more essential than ever before, so we are looking forward to reaching even more individuals and families across the Wakefield area.

“As always, we would not have been able to get to this position without the support of our partners, especially the Coalfield Regeneration Trust and Wakefield Council. We will continue to work closely with local organisations and partners to make Community Shop Knottingley a reality, and we would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about how to help make a positive social impact locally to get in touch.”

Gary Ellis, Chief Executive of the Coalfield Regeneration Trust said:

“We are very pleased to be supporting Community Shop Knottingley. Having witnessed first-hand the economic and social impact that these stores have on our communities, we know that it will make a big difference to those that need support the most.

“While we continue to work with some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country, it is innovative thinking and partnership working that delivers greatest change.”

Cllr Maureen Cummings, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Poverty and Health, said:

“It is really important to us to help and support our most vulnerable residents and that’s why we are really pleased to financially support Community Shop Knottingley, to help make it a reality and impact positively on our local residents.

“The work Community Shop do is fantastic, and I know it will make a really big difference to people living in the area.”