The Multibank

Client: The Brick and The Cottage Family Centre

At Amazon, we are committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. We launched the Multibank initiative in partnership with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in direct response to the cost-of-living crisis.

A Multibank is a community donations hub where Amazon and other companies donate surplus essential goods to families in need, offering an emergency service for people fighting poverty whilst helping to reduce environmental waste. We established our first Multibank in Fife, Scotland, together with lead charity partner, The Cottage Family Centre. It operates as a “click and collect” service for over 1,000 local charities and care professionals to access essential products they know are needed by the local community. A Social Return on Investment study has indicated that for every £1 invested in the project, it generates a social value of £5.96. We opened a second Multibank in Wigan in 2023, with anti-poverty charity The Brick. Products are principally donated by Amazon but with growing support from other businesses.

Together, we have donated over 2 million essential items to more than 200,000 families across Scotland and Greater Manchester. In 2024, we will expand to four more sites nationwide, with a goal to support 500,000 families in need.