Supermarket with membership ‘like Costco’ that sells all your favourite fast food

We’ve all seen supermarkets like Aldi and Iceland flogging their own twists on our favourite fast food – from nuggets to fries and cheeseburgers. 

But what if you could buy packs of the real thing to store in your freezer for when a craving hits and you can’t be bothered to go to the drive-thru?

Well, it turns out you can, but only from a very specific retailer in the UK andonly certain people are allowed to shop there, as much like Costco, you need to have a membership to get in.

Company Shop is a little-known supermarket chain in the UK that sells surplus stock from other retailers and big brands at low prices, in order to prevent products from going to waste.

As well as products from M&S, Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons, you might find Cadbury, Mr Kipling, Walkers, Doritos, and more on the shelves. And if you check out the freezer section you might be able to find the retailer’s best-kept secret.

Stock changes daily, so no two visits to a Company Shop will ever be the same, as it all depends on what manufacturers and brands across the UK supply them with. 

However, during certain trips to the retailer you might be able to find popular fast food items from some of the big restaurants.

‘We often get surplus food in from some the big fast food chains,’ a Company Shop employee told Metro. ‘We’ve had stuff from McDonald’s, KFC, and Greggs.’

All of the food is repackaged and sold in unbranded packets, so unless you were familiar with a certain item, you might not realise what exactly you were buying as it won’t say where it’s from on the label.

Metro visited the Company Shop Southampton store in November, and while there found packs of Festive Bakes being sold for £1.50 (for four), while hot cross bun pies were £3 for 1.45kg. You might recall this sweet treat was on the Maccies menu earlier this year, and proved somewhat controversial at the time.

There were also 1kg bags of chicken nuggets going for £4.50, and while we couldn’t confirm for sure, they did look a lot like McNuggets.

How can you visit Company shop?

There are 13 Company Shop locations across the UK, with branches in Bradford, Leicester, Washington, Grimsby and Southampton.

In order to get inside one, you’ll have to meet certain criteria – memberships are available if you work in sectors such as the police, fire brigade, British Armed Forces, the NHS, care services, private hospitals, support services, and FMCG, as well as those employed by registered charities. You can also apply if you receive means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, or Housing Benefits.

For those that make it through the doors, there’s some real bargains to be found inside, with big brand names items selling for as little as 35p. But be warned: no two shopping trips there will ever be the same, as the contents of the shelves change daily, depending on what manufacturers and brands across the UK supply them with.