What is the Co-op and Olio pilot?
Co-op is piloting with Olio to get surplus food from stores directly into the hands of local people. Each evening, Olio volunteers and charity partners collect unsold food and share it with the community - keeping good food in circulation where it's needed most.
When is the trial running?
The trial runs from 13th April to 24th May 2026.
Which stores are taking part?
15 stores across London, Brighton & Hove, the South West, and the Midlands are part of the trial.
Allestree | DE22 2QQ |
Exeter, Belgrave Road | EX1 2LB |
Forest Gate | E7 0EL |
Forestdale | CR0 9AS |
Grand Drive | SW20 9NQ |
Hove - Church Road | BN3 2EB |
Hove - Kingsway | BN3 2WY |
Old Street | EC1V 9NP |
Soho, 104-105 Berwick Street | W1F 0QS |
Solihull | B90 4EH |
Ashley Down | BS7 9BU |
Ifield Drive | RH11 0DQ |
Langley Green | RH11 7RS |
Cheshunt - Church Lane | EN8 0EA |
Epsom - station approach | KT19 8BY |
What time are collections?
Collections take place between 8:30pm and 9:30pm each evening.
On Sundays, if your store closes before 8:30pm, collections will take place 30 minutes before closing time instead.
❌ If you don’t receive a confirmation message, this means that the store hasn’t let Olio know if there is food available to collect or not. If this occurs, please assume there is no food and you should not attend your collection. You do not need to report this, we will check in with the store directly.
What food can be collected?
Volunteers can collect all food types, as long as items are within their Use By date and safe to eat. This includes:
Fresh produce
Bakery
Ambient
Chilled
Sandwiches & deli
Some non-food items can also be shared, such as flowers. Please follow your store's existing food safety guidance at all times.
How do store colleagues verify a collector?
When you arrive at the store for your collection please show your Volunteer ID found on the Volunteer Hub.
Feedback and communication?
If you have any questions or experience a problem with your collection, please fill out an Issue Report Form, located under 'My Collections' on the Volunteer Hub.
Please also share any feedback on the squad chat too! This can be about positive interactions with store staff, stories with requesters, and photographs from collections, just to name a few. We love to see these and we know Co-op will too! 🤗