It's like a supermarket for community groups and charities.
And it’s where you will get all manner of goods and products at a fraction of the cost if they were bought in the High Street.
The KibbleWorks Warehouse is the latest social enterprise venture to be opened by Kibble Education and Care Centre, in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
Already Scots charities and groups have saved hundreds of pounds for their projects and organisations buying from The KibbleWorks Warehouse. They have been as diverse as a community group buying disposable nappies to give away free to mums to Girl Guides who bought – among many other items - soap dispensers, which will be nailed to trees during their annual summer camp.
But it’s not just the buyers who get the benefit of cut-price goods. The KibbleWorks Warehouse is also an important training and employment opportunity for the young men who have been pupils at Kibble education and care centre – the largest of its kind in the UK.
Troubled and troublesome youngsters from all over Scotland are educated and cared for at Kibble, either on a residential basis or in day school.
The KibbleWorks Warehouse is a joint initiative between Kibble, In Kind Direct - a charity founded by Prince Charles and a social enterprise with charitable status, called Green-Works.
In Kind Direct accepts donations of brand-new surplus goods from manufacturers and retailers and distributes them to charities and community groups for around a tenth of their normal cost.
Green-Works secures office furniture from Government departments and large companies and re-distributes it to schools, charities, community groups and start-up businesses at greatly discounted prices.
Kibble launched the KibbleWorks Warehouse to market and distribute the goods available from In Kind Direct and Green-Works.
Jim Mullan, Kibble’s youth enterprise manager said: “As well as giving charities, community groups and small business the chance to buy goods at a greatly-reduced cost, there is also a great benefit to the environment.
“If we weren’t passing on these goods they would end up in landfill sites around the country. It’s far better they are redistributed and re-cycled in an environmentally-friendly way.
“It also gives the young men who have come through Kibble an opportunity to gain training and experience working in a warehouse and distribution. These youngsters need every opportunity to make their way in the world of work as they enter into adulthood and through The KibbleWorks Warehouse we can give them that.”
Guide leaders in Renfrewshire cashed in on The KibbleWorks Warehouse – based at KibbleWorks, at Greenhill Business Park, in Murray Street, Paisley. Two of the many items they bought – like toilet and kitchen rolls, shampoo, conditioner, washing-up liquid, pens, pencils and notebooks - were the automatic soap dispensers. Guide leader Sue Graham, from Renfrew, is one of the organisers of the camp at South Newton, Renfrewshire for up to 100 girls in August, explained: “All the fancy hotels have automatic soap dispensers and when I saw them at the KibbleWorks Warehouse I thought our campsite should have them as well.”
“We’ll nail them to a couple of trees so the girls can use them when they’re washing.”
Sue added: “We’ve saved a good couple of hundred pounds at least, by buying our supplies from the KibbleWorks Warehouse and that means it will reduce the cost of the camp for the girls.”
“The KibbleWorks Warehouse is a fantastic idea and I would encourage other charities and organisations to get their goods from there. They could save a fortune.”
David Close, who runs the Star Project which supports the community in the north end of Paisley explained: “We run a nappy co-op as part of our community project and we normally buy in bulk from cash and carry outlets and sell the nappies in small quantities at cost price.”
“We were able to get nappies from The KibbleWorks Warehouse and use them as a bonus to mums with a buy-two-get-one-free offer.”
David added: “Community groups like us are always run on a limited budget and being able to buy brand new goods so cheaply is definitely a benefit.”
In Kind Direct’s chief executive Robin Boles said “We are delighted to be able to make In Kind Direct’s service available to the community in this exciting new way.”
“Already over 200 west of Scotland voluntary groups in our network are receiving goods through our catalogue and we hope these and many more will now use The KibbleWorks Warehouse to get their everyday supplies and equipment for a fraction of the usual cost.”
Colin Crooks, Chief Executive of Green-Works: “This exciting partnership between Kibble and Green-Works will enable local community groups, schools, charities and small business to access vast quantities of quality office furniture at very low cost.”
“In addition to protecting the environment, the partnership is also about creating real training and employment for young people at risk and imbuing them with long-lasting skills.”
“In this way we can really make a difference to the local area, and I’m thrilled to be part of a project which has the potential to change people’s lives for the better.”
For more information about how groups can benefit from The KibbleWorks Warehouse, contact on 0141 842 8012.