A MEMBERS-only superstore which will sell and distribute surplus food and household products has officially opened its doors today.

Company Shop is celebrating the official launch of its new flagship superstore on Lancots Lane in Sutton.

Chairman and founder John Marren was joined by St Helens South and Whiston MP, Marie Rimmer, to cut the ribbon.

The new store has created 30 jobs and is a membership-only store, with access open to people who work in food manufacturing, the emergency services or the NHS.

They will stock good food and household products at approximately a third of the normal retail price from industry partners, including Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Ocado, Morrisons, Iceland, Nestle, Bakkavor, Greencore, Heinz and Muller.

They also aim to open five Community Shops, open to the masses, in the Liverpool City Region in the next two to three years.

Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens South and Whiston, said: "I’m delighted to welcome this innovative investment in Sutton which will lower the cost of shopping for members and reduce food waste, and landfill, whilst creating local jobs.

"I'm so pleased we have this Company Shop here, it's just beyond my wildest dreams.

"It's so absolutely necessary and all of this will go for public sector and emergency service employees who I'm sure will appreciate this."

Ms Rimmer added: "Perhaps more importantly for me is what will come from this.

"We need to get more food industries that will contribute their food to the Company Shop and then move into Community Shops because it's about bringing people back into mainstream society and bringing people into work and giving them their confidence, pride and independence back.

"Thanks for coming along to St Helens and together we'll do or upmost to get one step further."

John Marren, chairman and founder of Company Shop, added: “We are absolutely delighted to have officially opened our fifth Company Shop flagship store today, here in St Helens.

"The new store, and expanding into the Liverpool City Region more widely, will allow us to ensure that we are reaching even more families and redistributing even more food – stopping good food going to waste.

“We have always been motivated to be different and to make a difference and we are really excited to be bringing our model to the North West.”