The People's Supermarket (2011)

The People's Supermarket is a food cooperative whose stated aim is to provide the local community with good cheap food that's fair to consumers and producers. It was set up in May 2010 by Arthur Potts Dawson, Kate Wickes-Bull, David Barrie and a team of supporters and professional advisors in Lamb's Conduit Street, Holborn, London, England, near Great Ormond Street Hospital. As of February 2012 it had 1000 members. Based upon the concept of the food co-operative and inspired in part by the Park Slope Food Coop in the Park Slope neighbourhood of Brooklyn in New York City, US, members of the social enterprise are required to pay a £25 annual fee and contribute 4 hours of their time every 4 weeks to working in the store. In return, members receive a 20% discount off their shopping in-store. The People's Supermarket was visited by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron on Monday 14 February 2011 immediately prior to his speech relaunching his flagship Big Society initiative and the creation of the Big Society Bank at Somerset House in central London. As of March 2012 the People's Supermarket website had a page headed "Our Imminent Closure" which announced that unless Camden Council continued to support it by allowing the renegotiation of rate payments The People’s Supermarket would become insolvent by 1 March, and asking site visitors to sign a petition. There was a rush of donations which enabled an instalment towards unpaid business rates of about £5,000 to be paid, ending the immediate risk of closure.