Costcutter and Compass link to open pop-up stores in English hospitals

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The unbranded stores will be manned by the hospitals’ restaurant staff
Existing equipment within the hospitals has been used to display products

Costcutter has teamed with foodservice giant Compass to open temporary pop-up shops in 20 hospitals in England, to provide NHS workers battling the coronavirus outbreak with everyday essentials.

The range in the unbranded stores, which will be manned by the hospitals’ restaurant staff, includes staples such as bread and milk, as well as ready meals and the ingredients to prepare basic meals, confectionery and household items such as toilet roll and soap.

Health and safety control measures recommended by Public Health England are in place throughout the stores, which mainly make use of existing equipment within the hospitals for the display of products.

“At this time of unprecedented demand on NHS staff, it is vital that they have easy access to everyday essentials,” said Andrew Jones, Compass Group UK & Ireland MD of healthcare retail. “By putting in place these pop-up stores, we can take away a small amount of the pressure they are feeling at this challenging time.”

Bill Randles, head of national retail accounts at Costcutter Supermarkets Group, added: “With a number of retail units forced to close due to the Covid-19 crisis, it is vitally important that the NHS staff at these hospitals can easily get hold of core grocery and household products that they need.

“That’s why we have worked hard to open these stores in record time and while the range of products that we are offering in these stores is limited by the facilities, we are confident that NHS key workers will find these everyday essentials helpful.”

Hospitals with Compass/Costcutter pop-up stores are:

Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham

St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester

Worthing Hospital, Worthing

National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery, London

Barnet Hospital, London

Ealing Hospital, Middlesex

Northwick Park Hospital, London

Peterborough City Hospital, Cambridgeshire

St Helens Hospital, Merseyside

Whiston Hospital, Prescot, Merseyside