Peterborough community store 'UNITY' makes £140,000 for local traders within three months
It's been set up in Queensgate Shopping Centre to help support local businesses
A collaborative retail project set up in Peterborough's Queensgate Shopping Centre has helped local traders make £140,000 in sales in under three months.
Launched on November 18th 2023, 'UNITY' provides a base for over 50 local businesses from all over the county to sell their goods.
Co-founder Dave Poulton set up the store in conjunction with his community interest company 'Up The Garden Bath', an eco-group which helps reduce waste and landfill by upcycling old items and materials - like bathtubs - into educational garden planters and accessories.
He said he hopes UNITY and it's traders can turnover £250,000 by the end of this year:
"A lot of small businesses are not able to afford the cost of running their own shop on a permanent basis, so we decided we were going to share. We've got products and gifts from over fifty local businesses who would never, ever get the opportunity to sell in Queensgate."
"Retail sales are down 3.2% for last December, but we've bucked that trend. We opened as a permanent shop on the 18th November. For our vendors, we generated over £70,000 in revenue in just five weeks."
Mr Poulton added: "When you spend your money with a local business, the money goes into the local economy. It doesn't go towards buying a billionaire another spaceship. Giving these small businesses an opportunity to reach a larger audience is going to help them grow."
"This week it was revealed that Marks & Spencer's at Queensgate will shut in April this year. Some have seen that as a hammer blow to Queensgate, we see it as an amazing opportunity to embrace those customers who weren't aware of us previously."