Northern retailer Booths has launched its Buy One Give One Free initiative to maximise the level of donations it makes to local food bank partners, while giving customers the opportunity to make a positive impact on their community. The new scheme means for every qualifying item purchased, customers will receive another one free of charge, which they can then donate at the store’s food bank collection point after checkout.
Booths originally intended to introduce its Buy One Give One Free scheme in January 2021, but owing to the predicted increase in demand for food banks during the festive period, with more and more people in need of emergency support and essentials, the retailer was keen to take the necessary steps to roll out its latest initiative much earlier than planned.
The Buy One Give One Free initiative builds on the success of Booths Food Bank Donation programme, which encourages customers to donate food items to the collection trolley points located in each of its stores. All donations are then distributed to each store’s local food bank partner to support people experiencing food poverty in the local community.
Talking about the new scheme, John Gill, Head of Marketing & Trading said “As a family owned and operated retailer, we have a responsibility to support our local communities, particularly during these unprecedented times. We hope that the introduction of our Buy One Give One Free initiative will increase the volumes of products that we can donate to our local food bank partners, meaning vital food and hygiene essentials can reach more people in need.”
The Buy One Give One Free scheme will include a variety of cereals, hot beverages, soft drinks, fruit and vegetables and toiletry products.
Customer Experience Manager and pioneer behind Booths Food Bank Donation programme Colin Porter, said “We were keen to explore ways we can make the donation process easier for our customers and increase the volumes donated. The introduction of the scheme will allow us to get more food to those in need in our communities and essentially minimise food poverty, allowing our customers to make a real, positive difference.
He continued, “We’re always overwhelmed by the sheer volume of donations our generous customers make throughout the year as they continue to donate to our permanent collection points in store. I want to thank our customers and colleagues for continuing to help us in providing ongoing support to help local food banks.”