A POPULAR Scottish organic supermarket firm and social enterprise has gone bust with a number of jobs lost.
Locavore – which was founded in 2011 and based in Glasgow – was a not-for-profit social enterprise which operated four zero-waste organic supermarkets in Govanhill, Partick, Kirkintilloch and Edinburgh. It also had an online vegetable box delivery service.
But hit with rising energy and food prices amid the cost-of-living crisis, the firm have had to announce that it is the “end of the road” – although two of the stores have been preserved in a last minute sale.
The Edinburgh store closed earlier in January, with the closure of the store in Kirkintilloch also announced today – leading to the loss of 5 employees, and a further person made redundant elsewhere.
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A separate social enterprise, The Chard Holding Group, acquired the stores in Govanhill and Partick before the firm went bust, as well as the vegetable box business and the Locavore brand – which preserves the jobs of 77 staff members.
The directors of both social enterprises said in a joint statement: “Thank you to everyone who has supported Locavore, and our wider mission to build the sustainable local food networks that are required now and into the future. We hope you'll continue backing the new incarnation by using the Govanhill & Partick shops, or getting a veg box.”
Blair Nimmo, chief executive of Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said: “It is unfortunate that its plans for expansion resulted in significant debt which, together with cost inflation across the food and grocery sector, necessitated an administration appointment.”
Geoff Jacobs, managing director at Interpath Advisory and the other joint administrator, added: “It is disappointing that, despite the investment made, this not-for-profit enterprise has not been able to make its expansion plans come to fruition.
“We will be providing support to those members of staff who have been made redundant, as well as seeking buyers for the remaining assets.”
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