THE date for the opening of a Bradford shop has been announced.

Company Shop Group’s award-winning social enterprise, Community Shop, says its new store will open on Tuesday, August 16, at the Avenue Retail Park on Tong Street, Bradford.

The store will officially open at 11am and will welcome new members from across the local community with a ‘Surplus Breakfast’ alongside prize giveaways and free face-painting for children. The first 100 members to come along on opening day will also receive a free goody bag.

Community Shop Tong Street will support hundreds of members and is built around the innovative model of a store, selling surplus products at deeply discounted prices, a Hub that provides learning and development opportunities and a Kitchen serving quality meals at low costs, where kids eat free.

The store, which is creating eight new jobs in the local area, is opening thanks to the support of a long-standing partner and Bradford-based supermarket Morrisons, who have donated £250,000 to fund the store, as well as Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Biffa.

Community Shop operates on a free membership basis and is open to anyone living nearby who receives welfare support, is on a low income, or is referred to Community Shop by a partner organisation. They must also be motivated to make a positive change to their lives.

All items sold in the store are perfectly good to eat or use and have been donated by major retailers, brands and manufacturers after being deemed surplus for reasons like incorrect or wonky labelling, seasonal packaging or overstock. These products otherwise may have gone to waste.

Revenue raised is re-invested back into the local area through a Community Hub where members can access personal development support, with sessions including cookery clubs, interview skills support, business courses and more. 

Gary Stott, Executive Chairman of Community Shop, said: “We’re incredibly excited that our new Community Shop on Tong Street will open next month, and we have already had a fantastic response from the local community.

“We can’t wait to show them first-hand everything Community Shop has to offer, from access to affordable essentials such as bread and milk, to free hot meals for children, and life-changing development programmes in our Community Hub.”

Community Shop Tong Street will be the 10th store in a network of social supermarkets based within some of the UK’s most deprived communities. These are part of the UK’s leading surplus redistribution organisation, Company Shop Group, which also runs 15 redistribution superstores - including Company Shop Bradford on Canal Road.