London convenience retailer to grow fresh produce on store roof

Thornton’s Budgens, a progressive UK convenience retailer, is planning to launch a roof garden at its Crouch End outlet and will sell the produce it grows in store.

Subject to landlord consent and health and safety checks, the roof garden will occupy 4,000sq ft and grow fresh produce and herbs with a focus on endangered species such as purple carrots.

Andrew Thornton: inspiring others

Store owner Andrew Thornton told Global Convenience Store Focus the aim was to garden using a natural approach and the business has teamed up with a local permaculture gardener, Azul-Valerie Thome, on the project.

“We don’t go around with a Dulux colour chart the way the buyers go round at Tesco when buying fresh produce,” he said. “We grow them as they used to be grown.”

Thornton said the garden, which is due to open this month (May), will be developed using reclaimed materials such as pallets and building sacks, which would otherwise have been dumped.

“We don’t want to use any new materials and will be buying tools on eBay and sourcing seeds from lots of places,” he said.

Thornton said the garden was inspired by the eco London Restaurant, Acorn House (http://www.acornhouserestaurant.com/). It too has a roof garden but the one above the Crouch End Budgens store is 20 times bigger, said Thornton.

The retailer plans to grow “lots of herbs”, plus tomatoes, mushrooms and plant fruit trees. The garden may also feature bee hives to produce Crouch End honey and Thornton’s Budgens plans to work with local schools and give away seeds.

Products will be sold in the store under a brand name, yet to be released.

“No other food store has done this before,” said Thornton. “I hope we are going to inspire others to do the same.”

Top London department store Harrods opened a 7ft by 10ft allotment on its roof in 2007 to publicise a new allotment design service.

BP's eco-friendly petrol station in Los Angeles, Helios House ( http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=2222&contentId=7028375), features a green roof made of local plants and grasses to reduce the need for mechanical heating or cooling and to minimise the urban heat island effect on the site.

Thornton's Budgens Crouch End: roof garden to grow fresh produce