New sustainable department store opens in Mayfair

A new 6,000 sq ft department store with a focus on sustainability, called The Good Store, has opened at 23-25 and 27 South Molton Street in London’s Mayfair.

The store is carrying a selection of sustainable products and brands across clothing, accessories, health and beauty, furniture, homeware, tech and books.

The concept has been created by Groundwork London, one of a federation of charities mobilising practical community action on poverty and the environment across the UK, which has a partnership with the South Molton Street property owner, Grosvenor.

The Good Store “radically rethinks the department store”, with an emphasis on reuse and refurbishment. A range of plastic-free and sustainably sourced products are on offer, with the space also set to host informative educational events and services to guide consumers through eco-conscious choices.

Established vintage and second-hand clothing charity Traid has an in-store section, alongside upcycled and sustainable clothing brands such as Elvis and Kresse, which produces sustainable bags and accessories made out of reclaimed materials, including from old fire-brigade hose, Been London, which utilises sustainable leather, and Wyatt & Jack which produce items from broken bouncy castles.

Plastic-free and sustainable brands within the store also include Waterhaul, which makes sunglasses from plastic retrieved from Cornwall’s coastline, and there’s UpCircle’s refillable beauty products made from used coffee grounds.

The furniture department within the store features Jay&Co, the restoration furniture business of Jay Blades, TV presenter of the BBC’s ‘Repair Shop’, which sits alongside social enterprise ThinkFound, which source hardwood fallen or felled in London.

The Good Store also features furniture from Groundwork’s own workshops, The Loops, as well as access to high quality refurbished bicycles by Westminster Wheels, and premium refurbished white goods by Groundwork’s Rework employment programme.

Fiona Brenner, Strategic Development Manager at Groundwork London, said: “We could see that people have a strong desire for more sustainable options but the onus sits with the individual to go out and find them. We wanted to bring together these choices to show the breadth and depth of the developing sustainable market and traditional attitudes to reuse and repair in a way that creates an easy and enjoyable shopping experience.

“All profits will support our social reuse programmes, from which The Good Store was created, so that waste can be brought back to life by our teams and items provided to those who need them.”

Joanna Lea, Retail Director at Grosvenor, commented: “The Good Store is an exciting retail concept providing a route to market for high quality sustainable products, improving London’s circular economy and supporting social enterprises.

“Our work as a property owner is underpinned by partnerships and we are proud to be working alongside Groundwork to deliver such a well-needed and timely retail offering in the Mayfair neighbourhood.

“It is essential that we support social enterprises like these, which celebrate sustainable products and are contributing to wider social and environmental goals. The Good Store represents an integral part of the future of retail.”