Save Just1swap from closure!

Just1swap opened three weeks into a global pandemic. The lease for the Shop had been signed many months before Covid was even a thing, I still wouldn’t change my mind today had I have known. However the cost of living crisis came straight after Covid which was already a very difficult two years for us. The Guardian announced today that half of all UK adults have cut spending on their food bills. This week retail sales have announced the fall of 0.5% across the whole of the UK.

. The Guardian announced today that half of all UK adults have cut spending on their food bills. This week retail sales have announced a fall of 0.5% across the whole of the UK.

We have been here extremely hard not only by Covid, but now the cost of living crisis.  Although we are extremely competitive with supermarkets with 66% of our food being cheaper, 28% of our food being exactly the same price and 3% not even stocked in a supermarket and 3% being a few pennies more expensive.

Because we opened during the pandemic we have failed to get the word out where we are what we do and if you want to save money then shopping with us is the best option not only are you saving plastic waste but you are also saving food waste also by only buying what you need

We’ve been hit so hard we haven’t been able to pay our rent, And therefore other bills are at risk of not being paid. We work tirelessly throughout Covid with doorstep deliveries, ensuring vulnerable people collected food parcels, I’m working well into late evenings.

 And therefore other bills are at risk of not being paid. We work tirelessly throughout Covid with doorstep deliveries, ensuring vulnerable people collected food parcels, I’m working well into late evenings.

We are now calling on our community near and far to donate whatever they can even if that’s just a couple of pence or a couple of pounds to enable us to pay our rent for a year .

Some people may ask why and maybe even think that years rent is a little greedy here are the facts as to why we are asking for a years worth of rent to be paid  

We received no government help funding or grants! We come under the retail sector and apart from the very first grant at the beginning of Covid we have been unable to secure any money since then. Every single penny that has been given out by the local council has been given to hospitality and leisure. We have applied for every Single grant and have been refused, we have appealed every single decision and have been refused. We even wrote to the council with our third letter of appeal stating the fact that the local BCP Council have declared a climate emergency and therefore our kind of shop supports that exact process and crisis. However we received a reply to turn it down yet again.

 Process and crisis. However we received a reply to turn this down yet again.

Next year is going to be the toughest of all, we have struggled for two years tirelessly day and night. Without receiving any help or any funding from the local council. To prevent the ups and downs of the next year we are asking people to donate so that we can pay a years worth of rent and try then to support our community and work the shop day today without the Relentless worry and sleepless nights of not being able to pay the bills.

relentless worry and sleepless nights of not being able to pay the bills.

The cost of electricity tripled in the shop, and we have been unable to secure another member of staff due to having not enough money in the bank. Having a year‘s Paid rent will leave some of the stress and the burden and maybe even allow us in a few months time to be able to hire a third part time member of staff which we so desperately need.

paid rent will leave some of the stress and the burden and maybe even allow us in a few months time to be able to hire a third part-time member of staff which we so desperately need.

We feel we have been there for the community throughout Covid we even made hand masks that were given out free sanitiser that was used for free doorstep deliveries and so much more for our local community we are now asking for a favour in return we know the pockets are tight and pennies and purses are even tighter however if everybody donated just a little bit we would at least have a secure future for the forthcoming year