Shop sells mega-cheap food on or near its best-by date
Shop selling mega-cheap food on or near its best-by date including 10p bags of crisps almost sells out of stock within hours of opening
- Iain Dimmock opened pop-up shop Affordable near Nottingham city centre
- It buys food which would otherwise be thrown out by the big supermarkets
- The shop gets a delivery every week of different ‘surprise’ stock to fill the shelves
Iain Dimmock, 52, has opened up a shop near Nottingham city centre that sells cut-price food which is on, or just past, its best-by date
A shop that sells cut-price food which is on, or just past, its best-by date almost sold out of stock within hours of opening.
The pop-up store, called Affordable, has taken over a previously vacant site near Nottingham city centre.
It buys food which would otherwise be thrown out by the big supermarkets and sells them for a major discount.
Six eggs, which normally cost £1.10 at a big supermarket chain, cost just 50p while crisps and snacks are sold off for as little as 10p.
The shop opened on Wednesday but within hours the shelves were virtually empty.
Trustee Iain Dimmock, 52, set the shop up after becoming concerned about the amount of wasted food thrown out by the larger supermarkets.
He got in contact with charity Eudaimonia whose mission statement is to fight ‘the cycle of poverty, poor health and unemployment’.
He said: ‘We price the stock on a product-by-product basis but we aim to sell goods for half the price you would find it in the supermarket.
‘We don’t know what will be delivered but we will have a delivery every week. It’s just a surprise what it will be.
Shoppers have thrown their weight behind the store which is just 400 yards from the city centre
‘It’s been a huge success so far and I can see demand going up.
‘It’s great to be able to make use of perfectly good food which would otherwise be thrown out.’
‘What we offer is a very simple shop model that is maybe a little old-fashioned.
‘We value people who come in. We don’t see people as just money units. They are people.
Price of items in Tesco
Two-litre container of milk £1.35
Six hot dog rolls, 69p
Packet of leeks, £1
Sweet potatoes, 33p each
Eight chocolate waffles, £1.50
Gluten-free crackers, £1.70
Price at Affordable
Two-litre container of milk, £1
Six hot dog rolls, 50p
Packet of leeks, 60p
Sweet potatoes, 30p each
Eight chocolate waffles, 60p
Gluten-free crackers, £1.50
‘Everybody likes a bargain but for some people that’s much more important. We are completely open to everyone. We have no restrictions or limitations.
‘We use surplus food so the food isn’t going into landfill, and we also aim to bring a bit of community-based activity.
‘We have had good responses. People are loving it.
‘We get a lot of young professionals and students coming in.
‘At the moment the shop is run by volunteers but we hope to have paid members of staff in the future.’
Six eggs, which normally cost £1.10 at a big supermarket chain, cost just 50p while crisps and snacks are sold off for as little as 10p
Mr Dimmock got in contact with charity Eudaimonia whose mission statement is to fight ‘the cycle of poverty, poor health and unemployment’
Shoppers have also thrown their weight behind the store which is on the Derby Road just 400 yards from the city centre and is open Wednesday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturdays 9.30am to 6pm.
Unemployed John Kinsella, 40, from Nottingham, said: ‘I lost my job before Christmas due to ill health so money has been very tight since then.
‘I’ve survived on the cheap tins you can buy on the bargain shelves at Tesco but there isn’t always much to choose from.
The shop is open Wednesday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturdays 9.30am to 6pm
‘I love this Affordable shop because you still get to eat the same food as other people do but it’s half the cost.
‘I’ll probably go in as much as I can because I can only afford to buy bits and bobs at a time so it suits me.’
As well as discounted food, there is also a space on the premises which community groups can hire free-of-charge.
A home schooling group and citizenship service to help people cope with the impact of Brexit have already made use of the room.
The charity also runs shops in Stoke-on-Trent, Hull, and Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, which sell end-of-shelf-life products.
The shop gets a delivery every week. Each delivery is different and Mr Dimmock said ‘it’s just a surprise what it will be’
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