Luton Mayor marks official opening of The Lewis Foundation Outlet

Councillor Tahmina Saleem marked the official grand opening of The Lewis Foundation Outlet in The Mall Luton on Saturday 22nd June, as shoppers, business owners and loyal supporters gathered to celebrate the store’s unique model selling unwanted stock and exclusively new, branded items donated by local businesses.

The Lewis Foundation, which provides free gift packs to adults undergoing cancer treatment in 17 hospitals across the region, launched a flagship store in Northampton last summer as a way of raising funds while reducing waste from retailers, manufacturers and warehouses. The charity’s second store, located next to Tesco Express in The Mall Luton, had a soft launch in May and has raised over £7,500 already.

Councillor Saleem, who was the first customer through the doors after she officially cut the ribbon, said: “You can see why the shop is buzzing. What a brilliant and absolutely amazing concept it is to work with local businesses, taking their surplus products and selling them at low prices to raise money for adult cancer patients. These items might otherwise go to landfill, so the whole model allows organisations to be more sustainable whilst giving back to their local community – it really is fantastic.

“I feel honoured to be asked to officially open The Lewis Foundation Outlet and can clearly see the scope and potential. I urge local retailers and manufacturers, big or small, to come on board and support the charity by donating their surplus products.”

Guests at the celebratory event heard from charity founders Lorraine and Lee Lewis as they shared the rationale and journey behind the new venture. Store visitors also had the chance to be adorned with glitter by Facepainting by Agin for a small donation, raising £150 for the charity, and to add colour to a bespoke Luton-centric mural by Marvin at LemonPop, which will be displayed in the shop.

Lorraine, CEO of The Lewis Foundation, added: “We have been made to feel so welcome in Luton and the official ribbon-cutting was one big celebration of how far we’ve come in opening our second permanent store here.

“We no longer need to rely solely on funding to support the work we do providing free gift packs to adult cancer patients, and we are so grateful to have the backing of The Mall Luton, Amazon retailer Stephenson’s Online, who’s been donating excess stock to us since 2018, and other business advocates. We can’t wait to make more strategic partnerships in the town for our unique concept to grow.”

Roy Greening, Centre Director at The Mall Luton, said: “We’ve had such positive feedback about The Lewis Foundation Outlet from shoppers and businesses, and are delighted to have been able to celebrate with an official ribbon-cutting. The store is constantly busy with people who are looking for some incredible bargains and we’re confident it’s just the beginning.”

To donate surplus stock to The Lewis Foundation, email: [email protected]

For more information on The Lewis Foundation, visit www.thelewisfoundation.co.uk