Pennies for Plastic & Hope

We believe that there are two aspects to being more sustainable – caring for your environment and supporting your local community.

By not giving away free carrier bags, we committed to channel everything we saved into a trust fund to support local charities and community projects. So while helping protect the environment by reducing the number of carrier bags that end up in landfill, we are at the same time supporting projects that are important to our community.

Since we started Pennies for Plastic, we have raised over £120,000, supported over 30 local community projects and charities and saved 12 million carried bags!

The range of projects supported has been huge. From helping a recorded newspaper for the blind go digital to supporting local schools to start their own food growing, help with sports teams, learning equipment and deaf children singing, the list is endless.

Our trustees will be meeting in February to look at grant applications for 2012, so if you are involved in a community project or charity based in Haringey or Camden and would like to apply for a Pennies for Plastic grant, please click here.

One more thing – we would really appreciate it if you would take 2 minutes to vote on a local charity that you would like to see funded by a new endeavour that we are supporting called Hope.

Hope is a product that sits on Budgen’s shelves.

It isn’t a product you take home; it’s a way of raising money for charity.

If you want to donate to the charity, you pick up Hope and put it in your basket.

At the till it gets scanned like everything else and you pay for it along with the rest of your shopping.

Hope then goes back on shelf to be used in the same manner by the next customer.

The money goes straight to charity.

Click here to vote.

Many thanks, Andrew Thornton and all at Thornton’s Budgens. Jan 20th 2012

Can you find the golden ticket?

Psst! Thornton’s Budgens invites you to join us in celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas – Willy Wonka style.

Every day from the 13th December to Christmas Eve a golden ticket is hidden in one of the products in-store at both Belsize Park and Crouch End. Don’t worry if your name’s not Charlie Bucket…. If you buy the item and find the ticket, you’re the winner of a smashing prize – from hampers to foodie gifts and even a Trolley Dash.

Merry Christmas and happy hunting!

PS. no Oompa Loompas were hurt in the making of this competition.

Terms and Conditions

- One golden ticket is issued each day.

- Each day of the competition, Thornton’s Budgens will announce the product category where the ticket can be found.

- The competition for each day’s prize ends when that golden ticket is found. This may rollover into subsequent days.

- Customers must purchase products before opening.

- Instructions on how to claim the prize will be found on the golden ticket.

- Prizes must be claimed before Jan 16th 2012.

- Thornton’s Budgens reserves the right to withdraw this competition.

- The management’s decision is final.

Andrew Thornton, Dec 8th 2011.

Pennies For Plastic – Grant Application Deadline Extension

When we launched Pennies for Plastic, we wanted to combine our desire to reduce carrier bags with our social and community aims. The system is simple – for every carrier bag we save, we donate that saving (1p each) to local charities or organisations.

Pennies for Plastic has now been set up as a formal trust, with a very simple set of guidelines. If you would like to apply for a grant from the trust, please download our Pennies for Plastic Trust Outline

If you then want to apply, please e-mail a brief proposal to Al English by Jan 31st 2012.

I am delighted to announce that Joan Michelson is to be the Thornton’s Budgens Poet Laureate

In a close run contest, Joan emerged as the choice of the people of Crouch End following our contest on October 1 and our subsequent on line voting.

Comments on our blog suggested that Joan’s idea of bringing poetry out into the community was really loved; we certainly love it and will be working with Joan to make this happen.

I would really like to express my appreciation to Dave, Anne, Alan and Jeff for participating and for making the event so lively.

Watch this space for more details!

Andrew Thornton, Oct 20th 2011.

Nice article on Alan from Stewed

The Evening Standard ran a nice piece on Alan Rosenthal where he mentions that we were the first supermarket to stock Stewed. You can read it here.

Andrew Thornton, Oct 17th 2011.

Thousands of prices have fallen!

People have said we’re too expensive, and they were right. So we have permanently dropped 2,300 prices.

Firstly, we’re matching 350 family favourites against Tesco Superstores. As Tesco Express stores are about 5% more expensive than their Superstores (not a lot of people know that!), it means we’ll be cheaper than Express on these lines.

Secondly, we’ve dropped a further 2000 prices of products where frankly our prices have been very out of line with other supermarkets.

You Said, We Did.

Andrew Thornton, Sep 20th 2011.

Our Vision

I really believe that food stores should be a central part of our community, just as food is such a central part of our lives. For me, being a more sustainable retailer involves embracing your community and being environmentally aware.

We believe that what we offer is unique. Where else can you walk to a local independent store, get (pretty much) everything you need under one roof, have it delivered (free) and walk home… our mix of local food/wonders from small producers and the big brands means we cover the whole spectrum of needs.

Our vision at Thornton’s Budgens is:

“Truly serving the heart of the community by promoting a more positive approach to life through the celebration of great food and inspiring business practice”

It is only you who can tell us whether we deliver on our vision and values, and indeed whether we deserve the title ‘Your community supermarket that really cares’. Do let me know!

I love to get feedback, good or bad, so if you have any please e-mail me: andrew@thorntonsbudgens.com and let me know!

Warm Wishes

Andrew Thornton 2011

your supermarket, your choice