The period poverty-battling Hey Girls has taken another giant leap forward as its products hit the shelves of the community retailer, Co-op.
With a £50,000 investment from our social investment arm Big Issue Invest, Hey Girls Day Time and Overnight Sani pads and Menstrual Cups can be found in just under 200 Co-op food stores, marking the launch of the Big Issue Invest Power Up programme.
Founded by Celia Hodson with the help of her two daughters, Kate and Becky, Hey Girls sells a full range of period products on a ‘buy one give one’ model – meaning for every pack purchased another is donated to a girl or woman in the UK in need. Following the completion of the three-month Power Up Programme in 2018, Hey Girls were listed in both ASDA and Waitrose last year. They are also a major supplier in the Scottish Government’s initiative to provide access to free sanitary products to pupils and students in Scotland.
Hodson said: “Gaining a listing in one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by millions of members, gives us a real buzz.
“Co-op customers selecting a Hey Girls product in store know the more period products we sell, the more period product we can donate to their local community. Box for Box. Simple – that’s why we’re different from all the other product manufacturers and why our values align completely with the Co-op.”
Hodson was joined by Danyal Sattar, CEO of Big Issue Invest (BII) and representatives from project partners, Aberdeen Standard Investments and the University of Edinburgh at the Co-op store on Frederick Street in Edinburgh to mark the launch of the investment programme for 2019. BII’s Power Up Programme has raised £1.4 million since 2018 and delivered over 1,000 hours of business mentoring.