Historical version 5 of Fairtrade At St. Michaels (view current version)

  • 01865 722505
  • St. Michael at the Northgate, Cornmarket Street
  • OX1 3EY
  • 10.00am - 5.00pm (Monday - Saturday)

Fairtrade at St. Michaels is a unique fair trade shop, centrally situated in the basement of St. Michaels at the Northgate on Cornmarket Street. The shop can be tricky to find - it is to the right of Pylon (near Boswells) Go through the iron gates and round the glass building. Check out the you-tube video on the website for further info on where it is.

The shop stock an extensive range of clothing, food, homewares, jewellery, and a whole host of other gift ideas. All products are fair trade certified which, means every purchase is helping to support farming families and producers in developing countries across the globe.

Quite simply Fair Trade at St. Michaels is about high quality and fair trade. We also pride ourselves on great customer service and on being kind to the planet. We believe that FTASM is the first shop in Oxford to offer a high quality range of the most desirable 100% fairly traded gifts from across the globe, safe in the knowledge that our friends in the developing world are being advantaged and the environment is being honoured.

FAIRTRADE

Fair Trade at St. Michaels is a member of the British Association for Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS). Please go to www.bafts.org.uk for more information. Please also take a look at the web site for the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT); http://www.ifat.org/

We believe that fair trade relationships with suppliers in Asia, South America and Africa will help ensure the sustainable development of countries in these regions. By ensuring that the money goes directly to craftsmen and women, we have a positive impact on their lives and the lives of their families. Fair trade is all about offering a better deal to small producers and craftspeople in the developing world. By paying our producers a fair price for goods and services, FTASM ensures that they make sufficient money to reinvest in their businesses and in the well-being of their staff. By following fair trade principles we ensure that:

  • The producers are paid enough to cover the costs of sustainable production and living and to invest in the development of their businesses and staff.
  • The producers receive payments in advance for raw materials when required.
  • Long term business relationships are established that allow the producers to plan and use sustainable production practices.
  • Working conditions are acceptable and that no child labour is used.

PERSONNEL

We are six people working as directors of an ecumenical co-operative which is run as a high quality retail business ie: not a charity. Representatives from the main Christian churches are on the board, e.g. Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, St Andrew's C. of E, and Blackfriars R.C. Priory. We are grateful to have been given a home by St. Michael's Church at the Northgate.

We operate as a social enterprise in that all profit returns to the business in terms of wages, maintenance and infrastructure. Surplus profit is donated on a regular basis to projects already supported by the shop, often through direct local contact, and details of these are available from the Secretary.

We have shareholders and you are welcome to join us on application.

In Oxford we work with our fair-trade local partnerships: Pula, the African fair-trade shop in North Parade, the Oxford Fairtrade Coalition, the Student Fair-trade coalition, Oxford Brookes University, the churches, schools, [Oxfam]?, One Village, and other ethical suppliers.

OS X co-ord: 451294     OS Y co-ord: 206349     (Latitude: 51.753028 Longitude: -1.256831)
This is version 5 (as of 2013-11-06 19:25:26). View current version. List all versions.