// Tesco launches reverse supermarket to encourage donations ahead of Christmas
// The Give Back Express pop-up is open on London’s Poland Street from 25 to 27 November
Tesco has opened the doors to its first ever “reverse supermarket” to encourage donations ahead of Christmas.
The grocer‘s ‘The Give Back Express’ pop-up will be open on London’s Poland Street from 25 to 27 November.
Visitors are invited to buy and donate the 25 most needed items as identified by Tesco and charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust, including tinned food, tea and toiletries.
Customers simply pay for the products they have chosen, with the value of all purchases donated to the charities on their behalf by the supermarket.
Passers-by can also scan a QR code located outside the store to make a monetary donation through their Clubcard vouchers, or online. Tesco will match the value of all goods purchased at the store.
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The pop-up comes as FareShare forecasts it will redistribute more than 13,000 tonnes of food to people this winter, while the Trussell Trust reported that 320,000 people used a food bank for the first time between April to September this year.
Tesco is also encouraging customers to get involved in its annual Food Collection – launching in Express stores from 28 November to 3 December, and in all Tesco stores nationwide from 1 to 3 December.
Customers can donate items in their local store, via a charity donation at the checkout, or by purchasing a pre-packaged donation bag full of essentials.
As in previous years, Tesco will once again top up the value of donations made in stores as part of the Food Collection, by a further 20% in cash.
Tesco CEO, Ken Murphy said: “This winter will be increasingly challenging for many people facing food uncertainty, and food banks and frontline charities need our help more than ever before.
We have been working with FareShare and the Trussell Trust for 10 years and during this time, our generous customers have helped donate over 100 million meals to communities across the UK, with Tesco topping up donations by 20%.”
