Waitrose extends in-store charity support scheme online
Customers shopping at Waitrose.com are now able to participate in Waitrose Community Matters charitable giving scheme as the supermarket extends the scheme to the virtual checkout for the first time.
Developed initially to allow shoppers in Waitrose branches to support the local causes and charities, Waitrose customers shopping online can now select one of three national charities that they would most like to support when they complete their check-out. At the end of each quarter, a £25,000 donation will be split among the charities in proportion to the number of votes they each receive.
Now in its fourth year, the branch-run version of the scheme has resulted in the retailer giving around £8 million of its profit to more than 24,000 charities and organisations across the UK and Channel Islands.
Tina Varns, Waitrose community investment manager said: “We are delighted to be launching Community Matters online, giving all of our customers the opportunity to participate regardless of where or how they shop. As a business, we have always been committed to giving back to the community and this extension of our scheme will allow us to support and tell our customers about the excellent work of twelve national charities every year.”
Waitrose has selected The British Heart Foundation, The Red Cross and The Prince’s Trust as the first three charities to benefit from the online extension of the scheme . Each quarter, three new national charities will be selected to take part in the scheme.
