Member Article

Woking goes green with Bare + Fair

Woking Shopping, which comprises the Peacocks Centre and Wolsey Place, has announced the opening of independent refill shop, Bare + Fair, in a 1,454 sq ft ft store at 52 Peacocks Centre.

Bare + Fair offers customers the opportunity to reduce their plastic waste by buying everyday household items using their own refillable bottles. The shop sells products ranging from washing up liquid to skincare products, herbs and spices, and pasta.

Typically, 20 litre cartons are brought from suppliers, sourced locally as much as possible, and customers bring their own refillable bottles to top-up their household cleaning items. The same process is applied to food items, with customers refilling from glass jars for herbs, spices, cereals, pasta and many other items. Bare + Fair has achieved a 90% circular supply for non-food products and is estimating it is saving customers 2,000 single use 500ml plastic bottles per month, or 24,000 per year.

With sustainability high on consumers’ agendas and the refillable market currently witnessing rapid growth, the shop is proof Woking is looking to the future and positioning its offering accordingly.

Melanie Hemmings, Founder of Bare + Fair, commented: “Bare + Fair was borne out of my belief there was more we could do as a family to reduce our plastic waste. When researching refill shops, it seemed the majority were located in London, Brighton and Bristol, so there was a business opportunity to set one up in Woking, a town that is undergoing transformational change, to help people here cut their waste here too. The reception from people in Woking has been fantastic so far, but we are already seen customers coming from places like Guildford, Chobham and Addlestone to buy from Bare + Fair.”

Councillor Ayesha Azad, Leader of Woking Borough Council, commented: “Bare + Fair opening at the Peacocks Centre is brilliant news for the town. Woking Borough Council is committed to reducing plastic waste and being sustainable, as are residents in Woking. This shows the variety of retailer Woking has now and shops like Bare + Fair, along with our diverse F&B and growing leisure offering, are a key part of our vision to make Woking a great place to live and work.”

Woking Shopping serves a catchment of 1.1m people with an available spend of £2.6bn. 41% of Woking’s catchment are from CACI’s ‘Affluent Achievers’ Acorn profile, compared to 31% for the South East. Upon completion of Victoria Square, Woking’s market potential will increase by 11% to £226m. Nash Bond and JLL represented Woking Shopping. Bare + Fair dealt direct.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Libby Gilbert .