Defeating the economic crisis, fighting waste and questioning the dominant position of the distribution giants: these are the objectives that guide the People's Supermarket, "the People's Supermarket" in London, located in Lamb's Conduit Street, Holborn, near the British Museum.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousDefeating the economic crisis, fighting waste and questioning the dominant position of the giants of distribution: these are the objectives that guide the People's Supermarket, “the People's Supermarket” in London, located in Lamb's Conduit Street, in Holborn, near the British Museum.
The idea is as simple as it is revolutionary: the "supermarket of the people is for the people", as the owner likes to call it, the baronet Arthur Potts Dawson, chef with a passion for sustainability and waste in the food world, is a cooperative that can be joined by providing a corporate share of £ 25 per year (around 29 Euros).
In exchange for 4 hours of voluntary work per month, associates receive one 10% discount for the whole year on the products in the shop. And they also have the right to vote on supplies: in a nutshell, they are offered the opportunity to choose what to sell in the supermarket. Not surprisingly, almost exclusively organic products dominate the shelves of the People's Market, local.
The transversal clientele of the People's Market, ranging from lawyers to the unemployed, from Londoners to Somali and Bengali immigrants, can then take advantage of the services offered by a small kitchen, the "People's Kitchen", where they prepare dishes with fruits and vegetables close to the expiration date.
In 15 months of activity, the turnover of the People's has exceeded 1,5 million pounds (approximately 1,7 million euros) and the number of shareholders rose to 1.200. But Potts Dawson has not settled for this success and has made it known that he is about to start one sort of franchise with the People's Supermarket brand: by Easter 2012, a second store is already scheduled to open in Hackney, East London, where it will compete with 17 supermarkets, 12 of which from the Tesco chain. Mr. Dowson also plans to reproduce the People's Kitchen project on a national scale.
In short, a real one low cost food industry, which makes money by avoiding waste and consuming products that would risk ending up in the dustbin. But which also gives consumers more voice, involving them directly.
"The food industry has been bought by the big chains - said the baronet - we instead try to show what happens when people are in control". Mr Dowson believed it. And it works.
Roberta Ragni
