Holland & Barrett has started selling products past their best before end date at a discounted cost to customers, in an attempt to reduce its contribution to land fill waste.
The concept is being trialled in 25 of the health & wellness retailer’s stores in the Devon & Cornwall region, with the products being given a dedicated space in store. If the trial is successful, then the retailer will look at rolling it out to its 800 stores across the UK. The retailer claims such a move could potentially save thousands of tonnes of waste being sent to land fill every year.
Suitable products from all categories will be included in the trial period, apart from vitamins, chilled and frozen food, milk products and protein shakes and powders.
Hilary Leam, Group Innovation Director at Holland & Barrett, said: “It is estimated that the UK generates 41.1 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste each year with landfill being the second most used waste treatment in the UK.
“In recent years we have seen an increasing demand from our customers who wish to buy products that have past their best before end date, but best before end dates can confuse many shoppers and encourage needless waste. These labels are only a quality indication, which tells the customer that the product may no longer be at its ‘best’, but is still safe to be sold and consumed after this date.
“We hope that this initiative will help our customers save money where they can, whilst also helping us to reduce our waste.”
NAM Implications:
- Key will be the discount rate required to reduce these stocks to zero…
- Suppliers may need to refine their forecasts to avoid permanent presence in the discount-bin…
