UK: Planet Organic opens its fifth store

The UK’s largest fully certified organic supermarket, Planet Organic, opened a new store in Devonshire Square - about 1 km north of Tower Bridge - in London in September 2011. Located at the heart of the city, next to the famous Spitalfields Market and across the road from Liverpool Street Station, Planet Organic Devonshire Square offers a full range of fresh, seasonal food, healthy hot or cold lunches to take away, a café, a free water bar, and a complete range of organic and natural products, including health and beauty. 

“We love the City, and since September we have been doing our bit for the British economy. Our store is open from 7.30am till 9pm and is fully licensed, with a delicious range of organic wines and beers. Everyone at Planet Organic is delighted to bring the organic lifestyle to this buzzing part of town and to share our range of delicious foods and ethical lifestyle essentials,” Peter Marsh, Planet Organic’s CEO, comments. (Picture: store front of Planet Organic)
 

The 300 square metre store offers a full range of organic products: beer and wine, biscuits and cakes, cereals and muesli, chocolate and sweets, chutney and antipasti, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, healthy snacking, home baking, honey, jam and nut butter, Japanese food, juices and drinks, oils and vinegar, pasta and noodles, and raw and super-foods. Rice, grains and pulses, sauces and seasoning, soya and rice milks, tea, coffee and hot drinks as well as tinned goods are available too.

The company also sells a range of fresh food - bread (picture), cheese, eggs, meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. In the health section, a broad range of supplements and aromatherapy is featured, as well as books and other items. The beauty department offers everything from daily care to make-up. All this allows one-stop shopping. The Planet Organic Mother & Baby network supplies all the information and help needed with your newborn baby, with advice on supplements, washes, creams, nappies, formulas, feeding, weaning, clothing and more.

A new draught lager has also been introduced this month - the handmade, organic ‘Freedom Beer’. The Freedom Brewery is based in Staffordshire near the famous brewing town of Burton-on-Trent. The Burton water, filtered through limestone hills, is reckoned to be among the best brewing waters in the world, on a par with the famous water of Pilsen itself. Freedom take this water and malted British barley to create a handmade organic lager that has a rounded malty flavour with a subtle bitterness and a smooth caramel undertone. During Organic’s Happy Hours, Planet Organic is offering buy- one-get-one-free on pints of Freedom lager and glasses of their Giol Prosecco. (Picture)

A whole series of in-store events will be featured in the near future. Planet Organic welcomes its customers to the Christmas shopping night on 16 November when there will be complimentary mulled wine and mince pies for all to enjoy. Between 6 pm and 9 pm on the night, customers can take advantage of a 15% discount on all their shopping. The store is already stocked up with special items for Christmas, like plant wax candles, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Ren skincare gift sets, organic chocolates and organic wines. (Picture: Plush Santa products)

Planet Organic was founded by Renee Elliott (picture) in November 1995. The first store was opened on 500 square metres in Westborne Grove in November 1995, followed by Torrington Place (400 square metres) in June 2000, Muswell Hill Road (400 square metres) in August 2008, and Islington (460 square metres) in September 2008. Planet Organic also delivers its full range of fresh and chilled food throughout the London area. With morning or afternoon delivery slots on most days, you can choose from the company’s large range of organic bread, cheese, eggs, meat, fish, and fruit and vegetables. The company also delivers to the whole of the UK and most of Europe.
 

Besides their commitment to environmentally friendly food, the company operates an environmental policy. They source and promote their product range, therefore, with the aim of minimizing the environmental impact of both production and distribution, and they actively promote the benefits of eating organic food and the positive effect organic farming has on the environment. They work with suppliers who actively promote, and believe in, being environmentally friendly. 100 % compostable and biodegradable food packaging (made from sugar cane pulp) is used on their take-away food counter.

Carrier bags are made from non-GM corn starch and are fully compostable, and packaging sent to their customers when making deliveries is minimized by re-using boxes and packaging material. Energy is bought from the renewable energy supplier EDF Green Tariff, and the company is looking at new ways to further reduce energy consumption. All staff members are provided with aprons made from 100% organic cotton, and they are trained to understand the mission and values of Planet Organic. (Pictures by Planet Organic)

Tip: www.planetorganic.com