You are here: News / Waste packaging is still on the agenda of some shoppers
Waste packaging is still on the agenda of some shoppers
Archived article dated Friday October 10th 2008
With his face plastered on the front of his Budgens store in Crouch End, north London, there is no doubt that Andrew Thornton likes to stand out from the crowd.
By Glynn Davis
While I can't say the large poster with his mug shot on it does much for me, his desire for standing out also translates into his store being well differentiated from the competition, including a Tesco next door.Among his initiatives have been free local deliveries, the sourcing of many local products including a plethora of lines that are simply not stocked elsewhere, and a variety of tempting counters with food-to-go options.
His latest manoeuvre involves providing bins in-store into which shoppers can throw unwanted packaging from goods they've just bought, which is then recycled by the store. A similar initiative was trialled by Asda but the lack of take-up by shoppers led to it being abandoned before it was rolled out beyond the two pilot stores.
However, the good burghers of Crouch End and Belsize Park (where Thornton has a second store) are a very different bunch to the punters who would likely be frequenting the Asda stores. Yes, Asda does now serve a broad demographic but these two Budgens stores are predominantly attracting customers who are very environmentally aware.
There is also the issue at vast superstores like Asda that people simply want to be in and out of the outlets as quickly as possible - blow any time wasted on dealing with excess packaging. The experience in Thornton's two stores is very different as they offer a much more agreeable ambience to food lovers with many unique lines that require some exploration.
It is in just such venues where unnecessary packaging is still regarded by shoppers as a shocking waste of the earth's resources and has not been sidelined as a result of the economic downturn grabbing the headlines.
glynnd@theretailbulletin.com
Tagged as: glynn davis | packaging |
Share this article:
Should your colleagues be reading the Retail Bulletin?
Let them know about us.
