McCain opens shop in Scarborough to support the community

The frozen potato company has partnered with social enterprise ‘Community Shop’ to open a new social supermarket store in Eastfield.

The new Community Shop is located inside the Eastfield Community Centre, next to Eastfield Medical Centre and is now open from 9am until 4.45pm weekdays, from 9am until 2.45pm on Saturday and is closed on Sunday.

The store, which is funded by McCain, will support hundreds of people in the community.

It is the 12th in Community Shop’s network of social supermarkets which provide local people the opportunity to access deeply discounted products, as well as life-changing learning and development programmes. These unique programmes offer a mix of skills training and personal mentoring and have supported tens of thousands of people over the last 10 years.Councillor Tony Randerson said: “It’s a fantastic facility for Eastfield people and it’s a win win.

"It’s a membership scheme, however there is a strict criteria and there is wellfare support.

"It’s fantastic, I’ve just had a look around and it’s not just the shop area but the cafe too and the added facilities to help and assist the people of Eastfield to help them manage their budget.

"All in all, it’s something I applaud, it will go from strength to strength and it caters for 750 families, it will compliment the Eastfield Food Fridge and the food banks.”

Items sold at the store have been donated by major retailers, brands, and manufacturers. These products have been deemed surplus and may have otherwise gone to waste.

Revenue raised in the store will be re-invested back into the local area through the store’s Community Hub, which will offer personal development programmes tailored to the needs of each member. These programmes range from cookery clubs and home budgeting, to interview skills and business courses.

Sir Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said: “The first thanks must go to McCain’s foods, who have been part of the furniture of Eastfield for the last 50 years.

"They have provided a lot of employment in that time and the recent investment into the factory means they’re here to stay.

"Part of that commitment to Eastfield is their support for this Community Shop, which means families who are struggling with children and benefits can still access food.

"There’s the building too, the things that went on in here beforehand are still going on in another building that’s been made available. This will be here for a long time to come and will help support people to feed their families.”The store will also house a Community Kitchen, offering low-cost wholesome hot meals, with children eating for free every day.

Gary Stott, Executive Chairman at Community Shop, said: “We are incredibly excited to open the doors of the brand-new Eastfield Community Shop. We know from our work across the UK that this store will have a big impact on those in the community who need it most. Community Shop goes far beyond just discounted food, with the life-changing development programmes equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge they need to focus on creating long-term positive change in their lives.”

Jillian Moffatt, Regional President GB&I at McCain, said: “We’re delighted to celebrate the opening of the new Community Shop in Eastfield - a place where McCain GB has called home for over 50 years. We’re proud to be partnering with Community Shop to bring this invaluable service to our local community and look forward to supporting it for years to come.”