Nick Herbert visits family-owned store in Hassocks
Arundel & South Downs MP Nick Herbert visited a family-owned supermarket in Hassocks on Friday afternoon (27 November) to see how it is promoting local food and reducing its impact on the environment.
Mr Herbert was given a tour of the Knight's Budgens store in Keymer Road by owners David and Lynette Knight and Store Manager Nick Davey following a £400,000 refurbishment.
The new store, officially opened on 12 November, stocks around 150 local product lines from 25 suppliers including Just Fish of Hurstpierpoint, Clive Miller Family Butchers of Hurstpierpoint and Russell's Fruiterers of Hassocks.
During his visit, Mr Herbert was introduced to the new state-of-the-art refrigeration system which is designed to reduce the store's carbon footprint and cut energy consumption.
Knight's Budgens is the first supermarket in the country to introduce the Simply Air system which is saving 110 tons of carbon each year and helping to cut the store's annual energy consumption by between 45 and 60 per cent.
The store has also installed a new energy-efficient lighting system and both systems were approved by the Carbon Trust.
General Manager David Knight commented: "I was very pleased that Nick was able to visit my store, especially considering his busy schedule, as I am extremely proud of what we have achieved both from an environmental perspective and within our local community. Nick was very personable and has a genuine interest in the success of local businesses."
Nick Herbert commented: "I was delighted to visit the new Budgens supermarket in Hassocks. The new store looks fantastic and I'm not surprised that local people are talking about it. It was also good to see that as part of the refit the owners took the opportunity to reduce the store's impact on the environment, and the interesting thing is that this will also save them money."
Mr Herbert added: "I'm a great fan of local food and was delighted to see that the store is selling so many products that were produced here in the South Downs. I have suggested this local sourcing idea to other supermarkets and I am encouraged to see this really successful example."
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. Knight's Budgens of Hassocks is located at 1-4 Orion Parade, Keymer Road, Hassocks, West Sussex BN6 8QA.
2. The refrigeration system was Winner of the 2009 Industry Cooling Award for Environmental Pioneer.
3. In the photograph Nick Herbert is pictured during his visit to the Knight's Budgens supermarket. Left to right: owners Lynette and David Knight, Nick Herbert MP and Store Manager Nick Davey.