A Renfrew store which aims to prevent waste has reportedly saved people almost £ 20 million on food bills.

Company Shop, which is marking four years since it first brought its unique surplus redistribution model to Scotland, first opened at the Blythswood Retail Park in 2019.

And since then the company claims it has managed to save its shoppers £19,284,719 since opening.

READ NEXT: Hootenanny Owls told to 'vacate' their current home

The discount store handles perfectly good surplus which might otherwise go to waste and redistributes it for a fraction of the price.

After a positive response from the local community in Renfrew, a second store in Edinburgh opened during the pandemic.

In total, the two stores have saved people a combined bill of nearly £30 million on food bills.

Owen McLellan, managing director of Company Shop Group, said: “Since first opening in Scotland in 2019, we have taken great pride in the partnerships we have built with businesses, and in the support that we have provided to communities and families across the regions.

“As we embark on our fifth year in Scotland, we are more ambitious than ever about the positive impact we can deliver here for people, profit, and the planet. 

“As a result, we are actively looking to reach even more families who can benefit from our unique offer, alongside supporting even more Scottish businesses to sustainably handle their surplus.”

READ NEXT: St Mirren hero hands over a number of cheques to charities

Over the four-year period since starting, the business has handled and redistributed more than 28,659,743 surplus items in Scotland, an equivalent to preventing the waste of more than 3 million whole Scottish salmon, and 106,261,509 Scotch pies.

The company say they have returned over £3.1 million back to Scottish businesses on what would otherwise have been costly waste streams.

As just one example of the Group’s collaboration with Scottish businesses, it supports ice cream and chocolate manufacturer Mackie’s of Scotland to prevent new product development trials from creating unnecessary waste. 

To further its mission to create a world where no surplus products needlessly go to waste, and to support Scottish businesses to fulfil the nation’s ambitious food waste reduction commitments, the Group is now urging more local organisations to consider their surplus for redistribution. 

In doing so, businesses can receive a significant financial return at an important time, alongside being responsible for positive social and environmental impact.

Stuart Common, Mackie’s of Scotland managing director, said: “We’re dead against wasting food, but the quality and consistency of our products will always come first. Company Shop offers a solution which allows us to remain true to both principles, as well as supplying a revenue stream where we would otherwise only see waste.”