Case study: Warners Retail

Warner's Budgens is a group of independently owned fresh food supermarkets and forecourts in towns and villages in Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Central to this company is promoting independent ownership; supporting local producers; and sustained support of its local community.

The company runs a broad range of initiatives to benefit the communities in which it works, these include:

  • stocking over 700 local products and generating £1 million for over 80 farming and artisan producers within 40 miles of its stores
  • sponsoring two local food events each year, which attract over 40,000 visitors. It is also the main sponsor of the Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards 2008
  • collaborating with award-winning pubs and restaurants in the towns and villages in the counties in which it operates to host a locally-sourced, seasonal three-course lunch. All the ingredients for the lunches are donated by Warner's Budgens suppliers and from its stores. This event raised £1,000 for local charities in each participating town
    Warners Retail Winner
  • adopting the local primary school in each of the towns in which the company has a store. A recent project was the launch of the Warner's Budgens Schools Scheme – a set of national curriculum-based teaching resources which can be used to teach a week-long project on the life-cycle of bread

Winner of 2008 Community Partnership Awards: Local Community (SME) Category

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More Information

FDF has published a booklet called Working in the Community: the food industry in action (pdf, 1.2Mb) . This publication features a range of company case studies and Community Partnership Award winners demonstrating how our members are forging links with their local communities and consumers.


Last reviewed: 14 May 2009