Mar 2, 2012
Please find here the full report submitted to Hackney Council and Viridian Housing.
Feb 26, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 26 February 2012
The People’s Supermarket in danger of closure within the week
Ground-breaking community project and social enterprise The People’s Supermarket is faced with closure within the week unless payments can be renegotiated with one of its creditors.
Members of The People’s Supermarket are asking Camden Council to enter into further negotiations on their business rate debts, considering the alternative nature of their organisation. The member-owned co-operative in Holborn functions for the social and environmental benefit of its local community, not in pursuit of profit.
Closure of the supermarket would mean the loss of 23 in-store jobs that were given to members, some of whom were long-term unemployed. Over thirty local and small suppliers who have benefitted from The People’s Supermarket as an outlet in Central London will also lose business. Local resident John Levitt said, “seeing our supermarket close will mean another empty shop on the high street”.
The project, which is unique to Camden, and is run by hundreds of volunteer members, has engaged citizens from all generations and backgrounds. They have created a home-grown community centre operating as a waste-free and democratic supermarket. It is a new and growing enterprise, and by that nature has not dealt easily with its finances.
However, The People’s Supermarket has recently been meeting benchmark figures to break even. It has worked with all its other creditors, mostly product suppliers, who have granted them breathing space on their debts. The co-operative has also fulfilled its payments to HMRC. “It’s ironic,” said member Jake Pover, “that huge businesses can survive without paying taxes, but small businesses wanting to pay taxes are in danger.”
The People’s Supermarket doesn’t currently benefit from any rate relief, and is charged with the same amount of tax that any of the Big Four would be charged with in the same unit. “Camden Council also struggles financially, having lost 45% of their central government funding,” said member and local student Elliot Bannister. “But we’re not asking for funding from them, all we need is more time to pay back our debts. It’s about co-operation.”
If the project closes, none of its creditors would be paid. It is the business rates bill that will be the decisive factor in the survival of the project. Members are confident that Camden Council will want to partner with the project because of the assets it brings to the borough, and the social costs involved with the end of its community work.
- Ends -
For press enquiries please contact members of The People’s Supermarket:
Tara Mulqueen on 07584 063 278 or tara@thepeoplessupermarket.org
Michael Mulcahy on 07808 721 376 or michael@thepeoplessupermarket.org
Elliot Bannister on 07986 882 690 or elliot.bannister@hotmail.co.uk
Andy Leach on 07921 220 689 or andy@thepeoplessupermarket.org
Jake Pover on 07954 615 949 or jake.pover@live.com
Notes to editors
The People’s Supermarket began trading in June 2010 as a sustainable food co-op that is run and owned by members of the community. Members work four hours a month voluntarily and can shop for 20% cheaper than the public. Decisions, including those on the shop’s products, policies and outreach work, are made democratically by members, with the goal of maintaining a commercially-viable enterprise that is also socially and environmentally beneficial.
The project has been recognised nationally and internationally for community cohesion, job creation, provision of work experience and training, solutions to food waste and ethical remodelling of the food supply chain. The collective effort has won various awards including the Local Retailer Award in the Observer Ethical Awards 2011.
Since December 2011, The People’s Supermarket has had debts put on hold to all creditors apart from Camden Council and has been paying its suppliers cash on delivery. These voluntary agreements last until the new financial year when repayment plans will begin.
The People’s Supermarket has been asked to pay immediately the remainder of its business rates for 2010/11 and 2011/12, which it cannot afford in the short term. Members are hoping for Camden Council to demonstrate compassion and flexibility by providing a similar grace period to other creditors.
The Board of The People’s Supermarket consists of members who were elected last year by the rest of the membership body. It would be a criminal offence for The Board to allow operation whilst insolvent. Unless Camden Council becomes flexible with its demands for immediate payment of business rates, insolvency will be unavoidable, and therefore the Board will ask on Friday 2 March for the members’ permission to close
Feb 1, 2012
Jan 29, 2012
The UK’s most famous and successful member-owned and run social enterprises, The People’s Supermarket (TPS), will unveil the location and plans for a second store in Hackney, East London, on 26 January, 2012.
The People’s Supermarket offers a different business solution – one that is community driven, not solely commercially driven.
The opening of the People’s Supermarket Hackney will be supported by the TPS “Brick by Brick” campaign which will give the public the chance to buy a £1 ‘brick’ , to fund this a future expansion. The People’s Supermarket is also offering the business community the opportunity to join the campaign, through sponsorship and their corporate social responsibility activities. We see, that the joining of these two communites will deliver a positive and lasting difference to people’s lives and the environment.
The new store will be set across two buildings, each of which is approximately 4,000 sq ft. There will be 30 operational shop and kitchen staff employed in the store, which will need a further 700 volunteers per month in order to operate as a membership co-operative. The shop will be conveniently close to the new Olympic site and is adjacent to Homerton Hosptial and Overground station. Kate Bull, CEO, The People’s Supermarket comments: “It has been less than 2 years since we opened our first store in central London and have achieved massive public acclaim following the award winning Channel 4 documentary. TPS is a unique economic model that breaks most business norms; the People’s Supermarket has given its local community greater self determination and social empowerment and, in so doing, has created full time jobs, developed local partnerships and improved community cohesion.”
Key goals for The People’s Supermarket include:-
One of the most significant features for the second People’s Supermarket is the expansion of the People's Kitchen concept. This will offer a place for people to eat healthy, fresh food – creating food wonder from food waste.
As Kate Bull summarises: “The principle of the TPS is that it is “driven by the people for the people.” The second site in Hackney will be the fulfilment of a close relationship with the local council, community and traders.”
Councillor Guy Nicholson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games comments on the second site: “The People’s Supermarket represents a co-operative business model that resonates well with the values held by the wider community in Hackney. By drawing down on people’s time and energy, the prospect of bringing forward affordable and quality food to the wider community is a welcome addition to the borough’s retail landscape.”
Commenting on the new store site, Lord Wei of Shoreditch says: “It’s great news that the People’s Supermarket is coming to Hackney. It’s this sort of initiative that brings communities together. I wish Kate Bull and her team every success.”
Leading UK housing association Viridian, is a key partner in the TPS second store opening. Viridian is owner of the Hackney site and takes innovative measures to address issue of empty shops in cities across London and the south east, the Midlands and West Sussex.ENDS
For media enquiries or interviews please contact: Greg Wixted OR Esther Porta at Xpert Communications on 0207 978 0580 Email: greg@xpertcomms.co OR esther@xpertcomms.co or Kate Bull at TPS on 0207 430 1827 Email: office@thepeoplessupermarket.org
Notes to Editors:-
Brick by Brick
The Brick by Brick aims to raise £2.5m through public donations, and is offering financial institutions and corporate bodies the opportunity to join the campaign, through sponsorship and their corporate social responsibility activities This provides a wonderful opportunity for the broader business community to engage proactively and positively with local communites. The TPS Brick By Brick concept was created by the TPS team, not only to raise funds for new stores but also to support expansion into compatible businesses.
More about The People’s Supermaket
Locations for additional People’s Supermarket openings include Newcastle, Cornwall and Cardiff. Set up by co-founders Kate Bull, The People’s Supermarket has been active for 18 months, with 1,200 members serving over 6,000 customers a week and is based in Lambs Conduit Street, London WC1N 3LP. The People’s Supermarket’s vision is to create a commercially sustainable, social enterprise that achieves its growth and profitability targets without comprimisiing social and environmental sustainability. The intent is to offer a new food buying and retail network that connects an urban community with the local farming community.
Turnover predicitons for the second site in Hackey during its first year of trading are £1,250,000.
To find our more information on The People’s Supermarket please go to www.thepeoplessupermarket.org or follow us on Twitter @TPS or Facebook thepeoplessupermarket
Partners involved the new People’s Supermarket:
Viridian http://www.viridianhousing.org.uk/
Viridian is a key partner in the TPS second store opening. It is owner of the site in Hackney and it is taking innovative measures to address issue of empty shops.
VIRIDIAN TO INSERT BOILER PLATE
Hackney Council and TPS
The project partners Hackney Council, The People’s Supermarket and Viridian Housing seek to provide a minimum of eight local jobs by making use of currently empty commercial premises built as part of a new housing development in Sedgwick Street, Hackney.
Hackney Council has allocated £20,000 from Section 106 planning contributions for The People’s Supermarket to set up and run this project, including the consultation with local residents and businesses. The Council was keen to become involved due to associated benefits including:
For more information please contact James Willsher, Regeneration Communications Manager, Hackney Council Tel 020 8356 4694 or 07772227321 www.hackney.gov.uk
Aug 17, 2011
The UK’s most famous and successful member-owned and run social enterprise, The People’s Supermarket has been commissioned by Hackney Council to undertake a public consultation exercise.
The People’s Supermarket (TPS) is seeking to establish whether the local community of Homerton would support the opening of a second store. Currently the Chatsworth Road Traders and Residents Association are hosting a pop-up TPS at the Sunday Market on Chatsworth Road.
The setting up of a second TPS in the area is part of the supermarket's vision of creating commercially sustainable social enterprises that achieves growth and profitability, whilst operating within values based on community development and cohesion. The supermarket would offer an alternative food buying network to the people of Hackney by connecting an urban community with the local farming community.
TPS has put together a team of advisors to help with the study including senior partner, Cany Ash of Ash Sakula Architects, who will provide architectural advice and visuals, Ash is also a member of The People’s Supermarket. International Management & Construction Consultants, Gleeds UK, are providing quantity surveying advice.
Kate Bull, CEO of The People’s Supermarket will be leading the study and presenting to Hackney Council, the findings of the study along with a high level business plan and environmental and social impact assessment.
Bull comments on the commissioning of the study, stating "this is a great opportunity for us further prove that our business model works. Social enterprises have been mistaken for operating only in the voluntary sector, but it is a way of doing business that goes much wider, across all industries and sectors. Social enterprise is a model of business that can deliver a multitude of things for our local communities including economic growth, jobs, while working towards solving social and environmental problems."
Councillor Guy Nicholson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for Hackney Council, stated "People are becoming more concerned about the impact of mass food production, and many are making more conscious food purchases. The People's Supermarket will provide responsibly sourced food, as well as giving people a greater connection to the production process of the food of they are eating — from farm to plate. It will also bring economic growth and an increased sense of community to the area as paid employees, local food providers and volunteers work together to run the operation. The model has worked very successfully elsewhere and we would certainly welcome it in Hackney."
The People's Supermarket was opened in the summer of 2010 by Kate Bull, Arthur Potts Dawson and regeneration consultant David Barrie. Today TPS has 20 paid staff, who are helped by over a 1,000 members serving over 6,000 customers a week and was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary.
About The People's Supermarket:
What The People’s Supermarket members, supporters and customers have achieved is the start of something significant: a movement that enables people to help create a credible alternative to the dominant commercial structures involved with our food production, manufacture and supply.
The UK has some of the best food retailers in the world. They employ a huge number of people; they sell food in extremely safe and hygienic conditions at low prices to the consumer. But all this comes at a hidden cost to the environment, to people’s health and to the farmer. It is this problematic aspect of mass food retailing that concerns The People’s Supermarket. Jessica Green a member will be employed to co-ordinate the project in Homerton.
Chatsworth Road Traders and Residents Association’s market is open every Sunday from 11AM until 4PM on Sundays.
To find our more information on The People’s Supermarket please go to the website, follow us on Twitter (@TPShackney / @TPSlondon) or 'like' us on Facebook.
For media enquiries please contact:
Greg Wixted, Xpert Communications
0207 978 0580 / 07753 930936
greg@xpertcomms.coJessica Green, The Peoples's Supermarket
07904 517 465
hackney@thepeoplessupermarket.org