Harbury shop helping to tackle plastic waste with new partnership

A couple who run a post office and shop in Harbury are helping to fight plastic waste and stay in business.
Preet Dhillon, from Harbury Supermarket with Marisa Edworthy from Zero.Preet Dhillon, from Harbury Supermarket with Marisa Edworthy from Zero.
Preet Dhillon, from Harbury Supermarket with Marisa Edworthy from Zero.

Preet and Bob Dhillon, who took over Harbury Supermarket and post office in August 2018, have been hosting a plastic-free stall inside their premises in Mill Street.

The stall has been supplied by plastic-free business Zero which is run by Marisa Edworthy and Charlie Demetriou and has been up and running since February.

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Tackling plastic waste was important to the couple but it also helped them carry on getting business through the door.

Preet Dhillon, from Harbury Supermarket with Marisa Edworthy from Zero.Preet Dhillon, from Harbury Supermarket with Marisa Edworthy from Zero.
Preet Dhillon, from Harbury Supermarket with Marisa Edworthy from Zero.

Preet said: “We were concerned a few months ago because we were not making enough profit from the shop and we are dependant on customers. You don’t get that much commission from the post office alone.

“We kept saying to our customers that if they wanted to save the post office they also needed to keep supporting us in the shop.

“Other nearby villages like Lighthorne don’t have a post office or a bank and there are people who can’t drive or get anywhere who rely on the post office for their pension and for money.

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“We also asked customers for new ideas and some came in to ask me of we could do something plastic-free and we then found Zero.

“I don’t want to use plastic and it has an impact on everyone especially animals.

People in this village love this idea. It is organic and plastic free. People living on their own who want to buy, say, 100g or 200g of pasta or rice and not whole packet can do that here and it helps save on food waste too. It is popular and we have got customers from Leamington and from other surrounding villages like Bishops Tachbroook and Long Itchington. We also sell other handmade products that have no chemicals."

Marisa from Zero said: “I really hope this helps Preet and Bob. They are a really lovely couple and I think that post offices for villages like Harbury are really important. I hope this helps bring businesses into their shop.

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"They work so hard and work seven days a week and they have a young family.”

The plastic-free stall has a variety of products including pasta, rice, grains, spices, muesli, sultanas and cleaning products. Customers can bring their own containers for the products.

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