'Where are all the eco-minded shoppers?' asks Milton Keynes' sole surviving refill shop

The last surviving refill shop in Milton Keynes has warned it will have to close unless it gets more customers.

Molly's Pantry in Bletchley’s Buckingham Road prides itself on selling its eco-conscious refill range at reasonable prices in recyclable paper bags, avoiding the need for single use plastics.

Customers can also bring their own containers to fill.

The business also has direct partnerships with local farmers, enabling them to meticulously source fresh produce from nearby farms.

But its efforts to save the planet are simply not attracting enough shoppers through the door and today, as a result, the store put out a last-ditch plea on its Facebook page.

It read: “The last two days haven't been worth opening...We can't afford to keep the lights on without customers.

"We opened the bigger shop because the demand was there. But less than £100 across two days makes it unviable… If we don't have footfall, we close.”

The plea ended: “We are the only refill shop left, use it or lose it. If you like what we do, where are you?”

The store had hoped for success after hearing many older people lamenting the loss many years ago of the old Weigh’n’Save store in Queensway, Bletchley, that sold bulk value goods from huge bins – in the days before eco-conscious was even a phrase.

It offers quality goods and tries to keep prices low – and can even beat supermarket prices with some seasonal fruit and veg.

Molly’s Pantry has been the third refill store to open up in MK in recent years – but sadly the other two have already been forced to close down due to lack of trade.

My Refill Market at Swinfens Yard in Stony Stratford shut its doors in October 2022 after five years of business. The owner announced the closure on social media, saying: “I hoped I wouldn’t have to write this but It is with great sadness that the adventure of the first Zero Waste shop in Milton Keynes is coming to an end.”

Then last September another refill shop called Nothing Wasted in Newport Pagnell High Street closed its doors for the final time.