A UK surplus redistribution business, based in Barnsley, that runs member-only Company Shops and community-focused Community Shops selling surplus food and products at lower prices.
Company Shop Group takes surplus food and other products from manufacturers and retailers and gets them to people who can use them, rather than letting them go to waste. It says it works with more than 800 UK manufacturers and retailers, and describes itself as the UK's longest-standing redistributor and retailer of surplus. Its mission, as written on its website, is "creating a world where no surplus goes to waste". Its Company Shop stores sell surplus at lower prices to members, and Community Shop is described as the UK's first social supermarket. It is part of Biffa.
The Company Shop model supports food and other stock that cannot be sold in regular shops, for reasons such as packaging mistakes or over-production. Selling it to members only keeps the surplus off the open market, which protects the brands that supply it. Community Shop is a social enterprise that supports families on tight budgets, and its aim is to help build stronger people and more confident communities. The company says it has evolved since 2013, though that date appears on its own pages in a general way and we have not checked what it refers to. A news link on the site refers to 108 million meals created from surplus food.
In the UK, Company Shop Group has its head office at Wentworth Industrial Estate in Tankersley, Barnsley, Yorkshire. Its news items mention shops in Corby and Athersley, near Barnsley, marking anniversaries, and the page does not give a full list of stores. Clients named on its site include Aldi, M&S, Ocado, Morrisons, the Co-op, Boots, Amazon, Nestle, McCain, Arla, Bakkavor and Cranswick. We did not find a total headcount. It publishes a gender pay report and environmental, health and safety and modern slavery policies.
The company calls itself "the surplus stock people" and describes a friendly team, but offers few details on its pages about culture. Community Shop's focus on building confidence in the people it serves is one of the clearest signs of its values. Because stores serve members in their local area, a lot of the work is customer-facing and community-based. Some roles in the group are at its Yorkshire head office and in its distribution network, while others are in the shops. These are the company's descriptions and have not been confirmed independently.
The jobs at a surplus retailer include shop assistants and managers, warehouse and distribution staff, drivers, buyers and commercial teams who deal with manufacturers, food safety and compliance staff, and finance, marketing and people teams. Because it works with big brands and supply chains, it gives a close view of how food and household products are made, sold and sometimes wasted. The company's careers page invites people to join a team it describes as unlike any other, so look there for current vacancies.
Website: www.companyshopgroup.co.uk
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