Darlington shoppers have saved over £5.5million by opting to buy their products from Company Shop instead of from supermarkets.

Company Shop Darlington on Blackett Road revealed on Wednesday (March 20) that its members have collectively saved £5,648,176 on their shopping in the past 12 months.

The Northern Echo: The Company Shop distribution centreThe Company Shop distribution centre (Image: Supplied)

Figures also demonstrate how the Darlington store has saved 2,017 tonnes of perfectly good food, drink and household products from needlessly going to waste.

The same impact has been delivered for members across the Group’s further 13 Company Shop stores and 12 Community Shops in England and Scotland, with the unique retail model collectively saving UK shoppers £121 million on their food bills – up by £21 million on last year.

The Northern Echo: The shelves of the Company ShopThe shelves of the Company Shop (Image: Supplied)

Membership for Company Shop stores is completely free and lasts a lifetime.

It is open to those working in FMCG manufacturing and logistics; the NHS and emergency services; social care; prison services; British Armed Forces; employees and volunteers for charities, and those on means-tested benefits amongst others, helping the power of surplus food to reach where it has the most benefit.

Beverley Liddell, regional store manager at Company Shop Darlington, said: “We are so proud to have been able to save so many members in Darlington so much money in the past 12 months; we know how much of a difference it makes for families.

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“We are committed to making sure that every day, our shelves are stacked with high-quality surplus food and household products from brands that our members love at deeply discounted prices.

"The dual benefit of Company Shop’s model means that we can help our members both stretch their budgets slightly and do something good for the planet by preventing good food from going to waste.

“We would love to see those who qualify for our free membership sign up online or by visiting our store, to see first-hand the huge impact Company Shop can have for them.”