Open 9:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Saturday
THE FAIR TRADE SHOP
Trading for a fairer world
20A Upper Brook Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1EB
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Our Affiliations and Trade Body Membership
Margaret is the company secretary. Her involvement with fair trade goes back more than 25 years and she feels passionate about our need to spend our money as much as possible in ways that promote justice and fair trade in the poorer countries of the world. She says “We can make a difference to people's lives and their communities by making available products in our shop produced by farmers and artisans who need our support and this is my motivation.”
You can contact Margaret at the shop or email
Our History
The Ipswich Fair Trade Shop is a not for profit organisation run by a team of mainly volunteers, working to promote the concept of fair trade and the sale of fair trade goods in Ipswich and the surrounding area.
Originally born from caring individuals in the Ipswich Christian community, we have grown from humble beginnings in the late 1970s when volunteers, working from home, were taking boxes of mail order fair trade products to church and community events throughout Suffolk.
Growth was such that in 1996 a permanent home for fair trade in Ipswich was set up at a shop in Orwell Place, and growth continues today when we now operate from larger premises in Upper Brook Street.
Alan has recently taken on the role of treasurer for the shop, after previously being a volunteer following the move to Upper Brook Street in 2015. His experiences in running small businesses in the past help to ensure that the company’s accounts guide the management of the shop and satisfy the statutory requirements. He volunteers at the Fairtrade Shop because he believes that helping people to help themselves is fundamental to the long term alleviation of poverty around the world. You can contact Alan via email using
Anne has been a volunteer with The Fair Trade Shop since it’s very small beginning in a room in Christ Church Hall over twenty five years ago and was a committed “fair trader” before then. Soon after the first shop was opened, Anne was invited to become a director. As well as working in the shop herself, she is responsible for managing the volunteer staffing rota and is one of two buyers responsible for selecting and ordering goods from a number of our suppliers. You can contact Anne at the shop or by email
The British Association for Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers (BAFTS) is an association of members which, although independent, unite in a core purpose to bring about fundamental changes in the status of developing world producers through Fair Trade retailing and campaigning. The Ipswich Fair Trade Shop is proud to be a member of BAFTS
Ipswich achieved Fair Trade Town status in 2008 and this was renewed in 2013. The purpose of a Fairtrade Town is to contribute to the Fairtrade Foundation's aim of tackling poverty across the globe by enabling disadvantaged producers from poor countries to receive a better deal through encouraging support for the Fairtrade Mark.
The Suffolk Association of Fairtrade Towns was set up in 2016. Its aims are to promote Fairtrade in Suffolk, to share information on good practice and to co-ordinate action where appropriate.
In addition to running the Ipswich Fair Trade Shop, the directors and volunteers are engaged in promoting the concept of fair trade through promotional talks to societies and groups. The company is a member of BAFTS (The British Association for Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers) and is associated with other Fair Trade bodies locally, nationally and internationally.
The Company
The Ipswich Fair Trade Shop is a company, limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales in July 1991. There are four directors who, along with the Company Secretary, manage the company. There is a shop manager, working on a paid part time basis, all other staff and associates being volunteers, giving freely of their time and talents to support the Ipswich Fair Trade Shop, and thereby helping to actively promote Fair Trade in Ipswich and generally.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Gurwinder Kaur as the new manager of the Ipswich Fair Trade Shop.
Appointed in September 2022 and responsible for the day-to-day running of the shop, Gurwinder is delighted to be working in the Fair Trade Shop. She says: “I love what Fair Trade stands for, its values and views. I myself use products and wear jewellery from fair trade brands, so for me this role was the perfect opportunity and made sense in working for a place I believe in. I can't wait to learn more and help educate others in what we stand for.”
You can meet Gurwinder in the shop most days, or contact her by email
You can contact Ann by email at
Copyright © 2022 The Fair Trade Shop Ipswich Limited
Company Registration Number 02630236
Ann is new to the directorate, appointed in 2022, but has always supported fair trade and ethical, sustainable living. Ann believes firmly that trade – national and international – has to be fair. It is the only way to ‘level up’, to allow everyone to thrive, with dignity. In having our Fairtrade Shop in Ipswich on a main shopping street, we are offering the opportunity to everyone to contribute to this form of justice, as well as demonstrating that goods produced ethically and sustainably are also of high quality. They also don’t cost the earth, in more ways than one.
You can contact Ann by email at
