A discount retailer specialising in products that have passed their best-before date is opening its third store in Kent.
Bargain Warehouse is taking over the former Jhoots pharmacy, in unit eight at Rainham Shopping Centre. It has two other branches in the county, found in Folkestone and Ashford.
Operations manager Zoe Harragan said: “We have been looking at opening a store in Medway for a while as we have a huge amount of customers who travel from Medway and surrounding areas to visit our Ashford Store, so we thought why not open a store!
“We are currently refurbishing the whole unit and hope to open within a month. “The aim of the store is to stop perfectly good food from going to waste.”
The bulk-buy discount company describes itself as offering “top-quality products at prices so low” due to its “unique focus” on selling items passed their best-before dates. These range from everyday essentials to one-of-a-kind finds
Zoe said: “They are perfectly safe to eat and drink, with the packaging the companies use, they can go months, even years beyond their dates. “So much waste goes into landfills each year, yet it is perfectly good to consume. “We also sell a huge amount of cleaning products, too, which surprisingly have best-before dates.
“We are a fraction of the price of supermarkets and our stock changes weekly, so there are always fantastic bargains to be had. “We are already looking for a location for our fourth shop in Kent!”
It is understood the new store will create 12 new jobs. Some users have taken to social media to share their excitement over the addition. One said: “Love Bargain Warehouse. “I shop there when I can get to Ashford, but having one here in Medway is a fantastic opportunity for many families to save money on groceries. Roll on when they open.” Another added: “This is really good news to the people of Medway, it’s a great place to shop.” A third said: “Exciting – about time this unit gets used.”
The new store will be open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm. On Sundays, it will operate between 10am and 4pm. It will open in the former Jhoots, which moved to the old Boots store at the precinct after being handed a bailiff notice. Six months later, it was closed after being issued a second one, but reopened just days after.
An exact opening date for the shop is yet to be revealed.