Blakemore Retail Trials Food Waste Fighting App

January 24, 2020

Blakemore Retail has become the latest convenience store retailer to trial the food waste fighting app Too Good to Go.

The business has registered 15 of its SPAR convenience stores based in Lincolnshire on the app, which enables people to purchase short-dated food for a reduced price.

The app was launched in the UK in June 2016 to help tackle the 10 million tonnes of food wasted each year by saving the fresh and short-dated goods often thrown away by restaurants and retailers.

SPAR stores involved in the trial make up ‘Magic Bags’ of surplus fresh food and groceries on the day of their expiry, which Too Good to Go’s 2.5 million users in the UK can find and purchase for £3.09.

Customers are then allocated a time to come and collect their ‘Magic Bag’ of goodies, reducing the daily food waste of stores and ensuring that the perfectly edible food is enjoyed.

Store Operations Director Chris Bacon commented: “Blakemore Retail is dedicated to reducing its food waste, and what better way to do this than with an app that will also allow our customers to get some fantastic deals.”

Too Good to Go UK Country Manager Hayley Conick added: “We are delighted that 15 of Blakemore Retail’s SPAR stores have joined our growing community of partners in the UK, with the prospect of more to follow.

“This partnership bolsters our fight against food waste in the UK, enabling us to make an increasing dent in the £13 billion of perfectly edible produce that goes to waste each year. These stores operate at the heart of communities, so it is through relationships such as these that we can fight food waste together at a local level.”

The pilot of the app began on 20th January, with plans to register more stores in the future if successful. 

In the first week of the trial, Blakemore Retail stores prevented 500 bags of food from being wasted. 

Reducing waste is one of the key areas that A.F. Blakemore's new Sustainability programme will focus on. The company is looking at ways to reduce its food and plastic waste, energy usage and carbon footprint as well as develop sustainable solutions for its trade partners. 
 

Locating the nearest SPAR Magic Bag on the Too Good to Go app
 

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