A London shop rewards customers who bring their own containers for goods from olive oil to washing-up liquid. It could catch on here, writes NEIL BURKEY.
UP AN UNASSUMING street in a quietly hip district in central London is an original new store, and founder Catherine Conway believes that with a little bit of effort and planning, both by consumers and purveyors, we can change the way the grocery industry works. Beginning with a set of green principles and a humble market stall in October 2006, Unpackaged upgraded to a former Victorian-era Clerkenwell dairy in November 2007. The store was beautifully designed to fit in with the setup of the original dairy with the assistance of London design studio Multistorey.
The concept is so simple it’s hard to believe that a shop such as Unpackaged is such a rarity. Everything from almonds to wheatgerm is held in bulk receptacles. The customer pays by weight and takes it away in any sort of container they like. Conway says they have a 73 per cent refill rate, running higher among frequent customers, who are rewarded with a £0.50 discount on their purchase for bringing their own containers.
But they go beyond the usual legumes and coffee beans, which you could find in bulk even in supermarkets. The real innovation is to sell the slightly more unwieldy products, such as yogurt and olive oil, along with household cleaners, such as washing-up liquid and hand soap, in the same fashion.
They are green behind the scenes as well. As you would expect, the majority of their products are organic and fairtrade, but they don’t stop there. No products that have been air-freighted are sold in store, and they give preference to local suppliers. They have cakes from Hackney, bread from Dulwich, and produce that is grown on local estates, part of the Growing Spaces project, which aims to have 2,012 such garden plots by the 2012 Olympics (www.growing-spaces.co.uk). They are even working on sourcing red and white wine.
Unpackaged supplies several equally green-minded local pubs and restaurants, and are finding more and more by the day, establishing a big green network. In the future, Conway hopes to be able to set up a franchise of sorts, with each shop servicing its own area.
Conway says that she has received queries from as far away as Boulder, Colorado, asking how they too can start a grocer’s along the Unpackaged principles. She was even contacted by a molecular biologist, who wanted to come work for her, an offer she kindly refused. They run a tight ship, with three members of staff, including Catherine’s mother, Jennifer Conway, and her brother, who acts as book-keeper.
They even publish an annual environmental-impact report on their website. All in all, it makes a heap of sense. They save money, we save money and the Earth is that much happier. When asked if she had any advice for anyone in Ireland who might wish to open a packageless, locally-focused store, she said, “Start small and grow it, and be prepared to work every moment that God gives you.” We are sure it is well worth it, and a great idea for someone to copy.
Unpackaged, 42 Amwell Street, London, 00-44-207-7138368, http://beunpackaged.com.