The People’s Supermarket launches ‘buy a brick’ campaign to help fund new Hackney store
Inside The People's Supermarket's store in Bloomsbury, Camden. Photograph: TPS
The People’s Supermarket (TPS), said to be one of the UK’s most successful social enterprises, has launched a ‘buy a brick’ campaign to fundraise for its planned new store in Hackney.
The ‘Brick by Brick’ campaign asks the public to buy a £1 brick to fund the build. Local businesses are also invited to get involved in the campaign by sponsoring the project, which aims to raise £2.5 million through donations.
Close to the Olympic site, the new build will be adjacent to Homerton Hospital and overground station.
The store, set across 4,000 sq ft, aims to connect the urban community with local farms to create a commercially sustainable food store.
Unlike food giants such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, The People’s Supermarket is ‘commmunity-driven’. TPS chief executive, Kate Bull, says that it is “driven by the people for the people”.
Approximately 700 volunteers will be needed every month to keep the shop running as a cooperative, plus an employed kitchen staff of 30.
Bull said: “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 has created full time jobs, developed local partnerships and improved community cohesion.”
The new store will also launch the first of its “People’s Kitchen” concept, which allows customers to cook and eat meals made from food waste, on site.
The People’s Supermarket first shot to fame two years ago when the original site on Lambs Conduit Street in Camden featured in a Channel 4 documentary series.
Hackney Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and the 2012 Olympic Games, Cllr Guy Nicholson, believes that the new People’s Supermarket will provide Hackney residents with a place to buy “affordable and quality food”.
“TPS represents a co-operative business model that resonates will with the values held by the wider community in Hackney,” he added.
The supermarket is expected to turnover £1.25 million in its first year of trading.
Related:
But Hackney already has a People’s Kitchen: https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2011/03/16/leftovers-left-out-join-in-with-the-cooking-at-the-peoples-kitchen/
A(nother) Hackney Citizen infomercial…
I do not see it as good journalism to describe The “People’s” Supermarket as ” one of the UK’s most successful social enterprises” when it has had well documented financial issues
http://www.channel4.com/info/press/programme-information/the-peoples-supermarket
Peoples supermarket in holborn is a good grocers shop with quality food. It will be assett to hackney deserves our supprt. Mark
It may not be common knowledge but TPS Bloomsbury recently tried to raise £25,000 via the Buzzbnk website. All they managed to achieve was £700. How on earth is this bunch of fantasists going to raise £650,000 for a second store in Hackney?
TPS is not a sustainable business model because it depends on public/charitable subsidy. Kate Bull’s own salary is being paid by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation to the tune of £110,000 over two years. Ms Bull is making an appeal to the economically illiterate and naive, and warrants immediate investigation by the Financial Services Authority as regulator of mutual societies.
£55,000 per annum for Kate “driven by the people for the people” Bull
What a joke. She’s laughing all the way to the bank
Ms Bull’s money runs out in June, so unless the bleeding hearts at Esmee Fairbairn dish out more dosh to this dodo, she’ll be looking for another job
People’s supermarket are once again on the rocks financially – they have just announced they are days away from closure and demanding further cuts in business rates from Camden as they cant pay their bills despite the substantial Esme Fairburn subsidy and a 25k grant from Camden
Hackney doesnt need another vanity project which crashes after a lot of wasted energy and resources -another co-op supermarket on the other hand would be welcome…
not a very succesful social enterprise
Walter Bilas? Ah i did wonder whether the same fellow i saw commenting in a previous article who runs a deli on the same street as TPS. Certainly looks like it…
http://www.creditgate.com/director/walter_bilas_wc1n+3nb.aspx
I find your tirade(s) to be ridiculous, and especially against the opening of a store in hackney, miles away which is just confusing.
I have nothing to do with TPS (only been there once) but think it’d be a great idea and a boon to hackney.