People's own supermarket

7:00pm Friday 27th April 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Tom Jennings, covering Witney and West Oxfordshire. Call me on 01865 425403

Founder Chris Waites Founder Chris Waites

A NEW type of supermarket that will be owned and run by its members has found an East Oxford premises.

Organisers of the ‘People’s Supermarket’ have signed a lease for a property in Cowley Road, between Rectory Road and Princes Street.

They hope to open in June and held a launch event at the Cowley Road Methodist Church this week attended by about 100 prospective members.

The supermarket will sell locally-produced food and be staffed by its members, which will reduce costs and mean goods will be cheaper than normal shops.

Founder Chris Waites, from Long Wittenham, said: “The lease has all been signed and agreed, but we have not started because we need the members sorted out. Effectively, as soon as the members say, we are ready to go and get the shop fitted out. The hope is it will be open in June.”

Mr Waites hopes to have 500 members to staff and run the shop, but said it only needed an initial 150 to open.

Members will pay an annual fee of £12 and volunteer in the store for four hours a month.

In return they get 20 per cent off their shopping.

An initial steering committee has been set up to oversee the opening. Then the running of the shop, including whether or not to hire paid staff and how to spend profits, will be decided democratically by the members.

The Cowley Road store will be the first to open in the UK outside London. Two People’s Supermarkets are operating in Camden and Hackney.

Mr Waites said: “I went to London and saw the amazing community they had built there and the amazing local food they had got.

“I thought it would be perfect to have the same in Oxford.”

Kerry Emberson, 35, who lives in East Oxford, said: “I like the idea of having a community-run supermarket.”

Jack Paton, from Headington, said: “It is about people helping themselves, helping the community, encouraging local producers and it is giving good value to the local community.

“Cowley Road is already a community-orientated area of Oxford and it can only encourage that.”

tjennings@oxfordmail.co.uk

Comments(14)

oxchris says...
7:43pm Fri 27 Apr 12

Sounds good. How do we find out more information?

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TPS Oxford says...
8:06pm Fri 27 Apr 12

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your interest!

Our website is www.tpsoxford.org or you're welcome to email me directly - chris@tpsoxford.org

If you're on Twitter we also post frequent updates @TPSOxford

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L0RD PETER MCVEY 0X2 6EG says...
2:48am Sat 28 Apr 12

Sounds great till you realise that you are giving up £60 a month in wages to staff the shop, then when you cross the road you find out that Tesco are selling the same stuff 50% cheaper. But congratulations to Mr Waites for finding a "community" willing to work for nothing AND pay more for their food. And who said that the idea for The Emperors New Clothes wouldn't work. One born every minute. P.S. Mr Waites, I assume that all profits go back to the local community in Oxford City, and not to expanding your mansion in South Oxfordshire. P.P.S. Would not your local villagers be in more need of this than a road with more than 15 grocers/supermarkets already, call me a cynic, but this is all about making money for you is it not?

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Alfie Nokes says...
5:11am Sat 28 Apr 12

L0RD PETER MCVEY 0X2 6EG wrote:
Sounds great till you realise that you are giving up £60 a month in wages to staff the shop, then when you cross the road you find out that Tesco are selling the same stuff 50% cheaper. But congratulations to Mr Waites for finding a "community" willing to work for nothing AND pay more for their food. And who said that the idea for The Emperors New Clothes wouldn't work. One born every minute. P.S. Mr Waites, I assume that all profits go back to the local community in Oxford City, and not to expanding your mansion in South Oxfordshire. P.P.S. Would not your local villagers be in more need of this than a road with more than 15 grocers/supermarkets already, call me a cynic, but this is all about making money for you is it not?
£60 - how did you work that out?
How did you work out that their stating "goods will be cheaper than normal shops" is a lie and that Tesco will be 50% cheaper for "the same stuff" - will they be using Carmel-Agrexco too?

Belittling a community in the guise of a dig at someone that challenges your want for false economies is very cheap - nearly as cheap as Tesco and just as false/economical of truth.

Re your ASSumption - why would profit go to people who haven't invested, they haven't stated they are a charity have they?
You are a cynic and by ignoring all his stated goals to only suggest it's all about his personal profit you just devalue further postings of yours (I would be suprised if anyone actually does values your posts even though you do sometimes stumble across a vaguely sane statement).

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Oxford1981 says...
5:31am Sat 28 Apr 12

If in a paying me

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Oxford1981 says...
5:34am Sat 28 Apr 12

If I'm a paying member then I'd like to see profit, that's business and to be honest this just sounds like another scam

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Oxford1981 says...
5:35am Sat 28 Apr 12

If in a paying me

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Oxford1981 says...
5:35am Sat 28 Apr 12

If in a paying me

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virgotae73 says...
5:40am Sat 28 Apr 12

well they have already agreed to sell products made by the local homeless center, which is a charity, so they are helping the community and charities in the area, must be a good idea.

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Pundit says...
7:28am Sat 28 Apr 12

Lord McV showing his ignorance again. He hasn't got anything worth say, so skip his ramblings.

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iklhik says...
8:17am Sat 28 Apr 12

Oxford1981 wrote:
If I'm a paying member then I'd like to see profit, that's business and to be honest this just sounds like another scam
The idea is that you are getting a 20% discount. Say you spend £50 on food a week, that's equivalent to £10 "pay" per hour.

But I think most people, including myself, haven't signed up because of the discount. It's owned by the members, not Chris, and we decide where the profits go. I'm happy to give my time to keep money in our community rather than it disappearing off to Tesco management salaries or overseas investors. And I'm looking forward to being able to buy fresh, local food as well.

If you don't like the idea, don't become a member. You don't have to be a member to shop, so you can still pop in and see what you think offers the best value for money, Tesco or People's Supermarket.

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L0RD PETER MCVEY 0X2 6EG says...
12:22pm Mon 30 Apr 12

iklhik wrote:
Oxford1981 wrote:
If I'm a paying member then I'd like to see profit, that's business and to be honest this just sounds like another scam
The idea is that you are getting a 20% discount. Say you spend £50 on food a week, that's equivalent to £10 "pay" per hour.

But I think most people, including myself, haven't signed up because of the discount. It's owned by the members, not Chris, and we decide where the profits go. I'm happy to give my time to keep money in our community rather than it disappearing off to Tesco management salaries or overseas investors. And I'm looking forward to being able to buy fresh, local food as well.

If you don't like the idea, don't become a member. You don't have to be a member to shop, so you can still pop in and see what you think offers the best value for money, Tesco or People's Supermarket.
Sorry IKY, but a 20% discount on a product 50% over the road is still 30% dearer without taking into consideration the loss of wages from "working" in the play shop.

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Alfie Nokes says...
8:03am Thu 3 May 12

And your proof that it's 50% over the road McVey?
Like your proofs I asked for above - in your mind only?

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Sir Prancelot says...
4:18pm Thu 3 May 12

I appreciate the project is still in its infancy but I think a lot of people's concerns would be addressed if Mr. Waites confirmed the name of the lease holder and their precise legal entity. If I was interested in becoming a member then I would be deeply suspicious of paying rent to someone who was not the de facto landlord.

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