A NEW community supermarket is set to be launched in Rochford in a bid to support struggling residents and offer cut price food to those in need. 

The team behind Revive community supermarket met for a showcase event on Wednesday and are hoping to open before Christmas. 

Food and essential items will be sold with a 30 to 40 per cent reduction and the community supermarket will be held weekly in different locations across Rochford. 

Initially, it will be held at Life House, in Fambridge Road, but organisers are investigating additional locations where it can be set up. 

Coming soon - Revive Community Supermarket Coming soon - Revive Community Supermarket (Image: Adrian Eves) Co-ordinators Pete Everett and Kerri Eves are hoping to alleviate the pressure on food banks in Rochford and provide support to those struggling while avoiding any potential stigmas surrounding food bank use.

Pete said: “Community supermarkets try and alleviate the demand on food banks because they are oversubscribed. This is for that, there are different ways of giving support and helping people on low incomes.

“For those struggling but not in crisis, it will allow their money to go further.

“In Rochford, nearly 20 per cent of people are leaving £120 or less after paying their bills due to the increases in prices, that money is used by people to buy their food.

“When we look at the data, we recognise that Rochford and pockets of rural Rochford, like Wakering, are in need and when you look at the area, the food provision is quite poor.”

Pete added that there are few supermarkets except towards Rayleigh, which creates an issue for those on lower incomes who have to pay to travel to get food.

He added: “The idea is this would operate in one place then progress to other areas, the reason we are mobile is so people do not have to travel.

“We are coming to them, the whole cost of travel is not there.”

Rochford District Residents Group councillor, Adrian Eves, has been massively supportive of the proposals.

Mr Eves said: “This is about serving those feeling the pinch, it is without the stigma of a food bank with the whole idea being that we bring the supermarket to where people are.

“There are some serious areas of deprivation in Rochford, so we are using data for the basis of deciding where to go.”