The Oakland Foundation, a children’s charity, is pleased to confirm that it has secured new business funding for the upcoming year.

Supporting disadvantaged children and young people across England and Wales, the Oakland Foundation, founded by total supply chain solution provider Oakland International, has secured new business funding from Avanti Print and Packaging and Coolways UK.

Oakland Foundation Trustee Mark Williams commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to have gained additional funding from Avanti Print and Packaging and Coolways UK.

“Their financial commitment will ensure even more vulnerable children and their families this year will have access to opportunities previously out of reach due to financial constraints or disadvantage.

“We are sincerely grateful for their support and that of our founding sponsor, Oakland International, as together their contributions will ensure that those in greatest need receive the highest level of funding possible, and we deeply appreciate their generosity. It’s wonderful to be working with like-minded, compassionate, and forward-thinking people.”

With 2025 already proving to be a busy year, efforts continue to ensure the charity maximises new opportunities and funding partnerships. These developments represent an exciting phase for the organisation.

Director of Avanti Print and Packaging Holly Bennett stated: “Avanti Print and Packaging are excited to join in Partnership with the Oakland Foundation, it is an honour to align our business with such an incredible Charity. Together we aim to build a solid alliance and create more opportunities in Education, Health, and Sport to support the next generation.”

Director of Coolways and Avanti Paul Elliott added: “Coolways-UK are absolutely delighted to align ourselves with the Oakland Foundation and their work going forward, and we are thrilled to be supporting their aims given our history with Oakland International and the wider family of companies to be found within their locations.

“We have always been made to feel part of the family and it is a natural progression of Coolways-UK to formally join and represent the aims of the Foundation with gusto.”

The Oakland Foundation offers grants for children and youth programs focused on education, health and nutrition, and sports, for children under 16 and their families. The charity aims to enable every child, regardless of background or ability, to participate.

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Image from L to R: Coolways UK Steven Yardley, Oakland Foundation trustee Luke Attwell, Avanti Print and Packaging Caitlin Allsop and Holly Bennett, Foundation trustees Mark Williams and Peter Vaughan, and Paul Elliott of Avanti and Coolways.

Editor’s notes: The Oakland Foundation is a charity 1153547, created by Redditch based food logistics and distribution firm Oakland International, aimed specifically at reducing child poverty across England and Wales through their work in the areas of Health and Nutrition, Education and Sport.

Charity details:       Oakland Foundation Limited UK: +44 (0) 1527 596 222

For all enquiries please contact: Kathryn Watts m: 07970 547469

e: k.watts@evopr.com – If you do not wish to continue to receive press releases in the future, please let me know and I will remove your address from my distribution group.

 113 million products were redistributed in 2024

 

Company Shop Group today revealed that it redistributed 113 million products in 2024, saving UK shoppers £130 million on their food bills – up by £9 million on last year.

 

These new statistics were published as part of Company Shop Group’s latest impact report, launched [today] to mark the start of Food Waste Action Week (17-23 March). And with 10.7 million tonnes of food being wasted in the UK each year – and nearly 10 million people living in food poverty – the need for solutions has never been greater.

 

In 2024, Company Shop Group redistributed over 46,000 tonnes of food and drink – the equivalent of 110 million meals – to individuals and families across the UK, the same as feeding the entire population 1.6 times. This also had a significant environmental impact, saving 124,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, the equivalent of removing over 72,000 cars from the road for a year. By preventing waste and promoting a circular economy, the Group plays a crucial role in creating a more sustainable future.

 

Through its unique and scalable model, Company Shop Group provided tailored surplus solutions to over 800 retail and manufacturing partners last year, helping them manage surplus efficiently at every stage of the product lifecycle. By investing in problem-solving capabilities, in the past three years, the Group relabelled 55 million products and washed 7.8 million bottles, items that would have otherwise gone to waste. The partnership between Company Shop Group and its stock partners helps reduce waste, recoup value, and enhance environmental and social responsibility. In 2024, Company Shop Group paid back £49 million to its partners taking the Group’s total financial return to the industry in the last five years to a staggering £188 million.

 

Community Shop, the social enterprise arm of Company Shop Group and the UK’s first social supermarket, worked to tackle food insecurity in communities experiencing social inequality. Through its Community stores, members saved £11.8 million on shopping, Community Kitchens fed 120,000 children for free, and Community Hubs delivered 54,000 development programmes, helping 3,100 people into higher education and 2,800 people through our progress academy.

 

Chris Burns, Managing Director of Company Shop Group, said: “Joining Company Shop Group has been an incredible journey, and I am so proud to be part of an organisation that transforms surplus into meaningful impact. Over the past year, we’ve supported more families, saved more products from going to waste and   strengthened our partnerships across the industry.

 

This report highlights not just the numbers but the lives we’ve changed along the way. We’re committed to doing more in the coming year, because every surplus product saved is an opportunity to create value for people, planet, and industry.”

 

Gary Stott, Executive Chairman of Community Shop said: “In 2024, Community Shops around the country have continued to deliver life-changing support to individuals, families and communities. This year we launched our white paper on the future of food aid in the UK, which demonstrated our deep commitment to creating long-lasting change and tackling food insecurity at its roots. We’re equipped and ready to drive this mission forward in the years to come.”

 

These statistics, along with many others, are available in Company Shop Group’s new impact report which can be downloaded here

 

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ABOUT COMPANY SHOP GROUP 

 

Company Shop Group is the UK’s leading and longest-standing redistributor and retailer of surplus products and is part of the wider Biffa Group. The commercial arm of the business operates a network of 13 Company Shop ‘surplus supermarkets’ across England and Scotland, which sell discounted surplus from over 800 brands, retailers and manufacturers to its members, who meet specific criteria. A percentage of the profit is re-invested in Community Shop, a social enterprise tackling the root causes of food insecurity in communities experiencing social inequality, by providing access to deeply discounted food and household essentials, along with life-changing personal development programmes. The Group supports the industry in managing surplus at every stage of the product lifecycle, investing in problem-solving capabilities and helping to reduce waste and recoup value for businesses.

 

 

ABOUT COMMUNITY SHOP 

 

Community Shop is an award-winning social enterprise and the UK’s first social supermarket, which aims to tackle the root causes of food insecurity in communities experiencing social inequality. With three interconnecting spaces within one building, Community Store provides access to deeply discounted food and essentials, including fruit, veg and bread for only 20p. The profits from the store are then invested in Community Hub, which delivers a life-changing holistic support programme, empowering people to develop their own capabilities and deliver a positive future for themselves. Additionally, each Community Shop has a Community Kitchen, a café that allows people to connect with others and learn through food, as well as providing home-cooked meals for the community with kids eating free every day. The unique model uses surplus products donated by its stock partners through Company Shop Group, ensuring that no product needlessly goes to waste, whilst simultaneously providing a sustainable support model for thousands of families each year.

Company Shop Group is part of Biffa plc. Join the conversation at www.companyshopgroup.co.uk, or on LinkedIn.
For more information please contact:

Jasmine Adams: jasmine.adams@greenhouse.agency +44 7304 079622

Charlotte Senior: charlotte.senior@greenhouse.agency +44 7736 809231

 

Community Shop Swarcliffe has officially opened and will provide hundreds of local people with access to discounted surplus food and household items, as well as affordable hot meals, skills workshops and further learning opportunities.

 

The new store is the 14th in Community Shop’s network of social supermarkets, each of which tackles the root causes of food insecurity in communities experiencing social inequality, offering members a hand-up, not just a handout.

 

This latest store opened thanks to the support of Leeds-based Asda, who have supported Community Shop’s other stores for over a decade through the donation of surplus products. Asda provided funding to convert the Swarcliffe building into Community Shop’s unique three space format and will continue to donate stock to provide the community with access to quality food.

 

Since its inception in 2013, Community Shop has supported over 73,000 families through this model, embedding resilience within communities and improving peoples’ circumstances for the long-term. Community Store has saved members over £50 million on their regular food shops, whilst the Community Hubs have delivered more than 218,000 development programmes and Community Kitchens have fed over 880,000 children for free.

 

Community Shop Swarcliffe is made up of three distinct but interconnected spaces – Community Store, Community Hub and Community Kitchen. The store will provide members with access to deeply discounted food and essentials, including fruit, vegetables and bread for only 20p. The profits from the store will be reinvested into Community Hub which will deliver life-changing holistic support and development, empowering people across the local community to develop their own capabilities and deliver a positive future for themselves, providing members with the personal tools they need to improve their own circumstances and address the causes of their food insecurity, in a supportive, safe environment. To complete the interconnected spaces, Community Shop Swarcliffe will have a Community Kitchen, a café that enables people to connect with others and learn through food, as well as providing home-cooked meals for the community with kids eating free every day.

 

Kris Comerford, Chief Commercial Officer at Asda, said: “As a Leeds-based business, we’re excited to be supporting the local community in Swarcliffe through our work with the new Community Shop. Through discounted products and the learning opportunities on offer, we hope this store can provide life-changing support and make a lasting difference to those in the area.”

 

Gary Stott, Executive Chairman of Community Shop, commented: “For the past 12 years, Community Shop has not only provided our members with access to deeply discounted goods but also delivered life-changing programmes and holistic support so that our members develop their own capabilities and deliver a positive future for themselves. We’re delighted to continue our mission, empowering individuals, families, and communities across the Leeds area and I thank Asda for their support in helping us open this new store.”

 

Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, customer service and community safety, said: “I am delighted that a new Community Shop has opened in Swarcliffe. As a Council we remain committed to tackling poverty and inequality and so initiatives such as this are a key part of helping us support residents while at the same time reducing the amount of food going to landfill.”

The store operates on a free membership basis and will be open to those on means-tested benefits who live in the local area.

Ample, the marketplace for farm surplus, teams up with award-winning logistics company Oakland International to build a kitchen that will produce millions of delicious and nutritious meals for schools and hospitals using surplus food.

The problem: Fresh produce is treated like a pariah – dumped, hidden and destroyed
Up to 15% of all food grown in the UK never leaves the farm1, mainly because it doesn’t fit cosmetic requirements demanded by supermarkets. This equates to over 10 million meals every day – more than enough to end food poverty. And farmers, obliged to deliver what consumers want, don’t get paid for produce that doesn’t make the grade. Where does it go? Most is being ploughed in, burned or disposed of as waste.

The Solution: Ample Kitchen
Building on the success of Ample Marketplace, launched in 2024, Ample Kitchen will utilise these surpluses to produce millions of high-value meals, and at the same time ensure that farmers are paid a fair price for their great British produce.
Drawing on Oakland’s expertise and resources we will build a dedicated production facility near Redditch to produce high quality, nutritious and delicious meals using surplus ingredients. Ample Kitchen will have the capacity to produce a million meals every month, blast frozen to extend the life of produce that would otherwise go to waste. We will oer a range of family favourites and classic dishes and components that appeal to a broad audience, such as vegan lasagne, fish pie, chicken and leek pie, cauliflower/squash cheese and root vegetable gratin; packaged in both individual and catering variants.

This serves several cost-sensitive markets including school meal programmes, community outlets and the NHS, as well as direct to consumers. Ample meals will also be available to purchase directly and to donate to social causes fighting poverty, including our charity partners such as FareShare and The Felix Project. Our take on BOGOF is to buy one and GIVE one free.

Partners: Ample + Oakland
Ample is a startup innovator that enables British farmers to sell their fresh, tasty produce to sustainably-minded businesses in the food industry including restaurants, wholesalers, manufacturers, caterers and charities.
Oakland International is an award-winning full service logistics business with a reputation for innovation through sustainability, servicing retail, wholesale, discount and convenience markets in the UK and Ireland.
Leon Aarts, food advocate and Ample Co-Founder said, “We are really excited to be launching Ample Kitchen because it will demonstrate a sustainable way to address our food chain crisis. We can’t bear to see good food go to waste, especially when we all know how important it is to act and mitigate climate change. Together with our amazing partners at Oakland we are bringing nutritious and delicious British food to students and patients at keen prices.”

Dean Attwell, Co-Founder of Oakland International commented, “At Oakland, we know our purpose extends beyond job creation and profit and measure our success by the impact made in the many communities that make us who we are. We are delighted to partner with Ample to support this ambitious project to establish a dedicated industrial-scale kitchen that will provide high-quality food that will be really appreciated by schools and hospitals.”

Additional Information:
Ample is a commercial business that utilises the discipline of commercial practice to create social impact. Our vision is a world where there is no such thing as food waste.
The idea for the company originated during the Covid pandemic, with the founders working to get food to vulnerable communities. Ample is commied to help solve the food crisis by saving hundreds of thousands of tonnes of farm surplus by ensuring it is identified, sold and consumed. We ensure that farmers get paid fairly, and buyers get a great deal.

Ample Marketplace, launched in 2024 enables farmers to easily sell their surplus produce online where Ample markets it to buyers in the food and catering industry. Hassle-free logistics are built-in to ensure food is delivered on time and in perfect condition.
Food is a precious resource, and Ample enables buyers and sellers to enhance their sustainability by redirecting food away from waste disposal, animal feed and landfill, and stimulating local food economies, as well as creating good deals for a fair return.

Photo resources are available on request.

Contact for more information: Steve Thomas, steve@ample.shop, or 07968 904007