Central England Co-op

Central England Co-op has announced more store openings, in addition to an earlier announcement regarding expansion plans

Central England Co-op has put more flesh on the bones of its 2018 store opening plans following news earlier this year of a raft of new outlets.

The society told The Grocer exclusively in January that it had plans for stores in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire; Kings Norton, Worcestershire; Market Deeping, Lincolnshire; Barnsley, South Yorkshire; and Derby in the East Midlands.

This week it revealed that plans were also in place in the West Midlands for revamps in Hall Green, Shirley, Kitts Green, Redditch, Oldbury and Stirchley.

In Yorkshire, it had plans for new food stores in Keresforth Hill Road, Barnsley, and Barnsley Road, South Kirkby.

In Derbyshire, a new food store is planned for Littleover this summer and revamps are planned for sites in Chesterfield, Renishaw and Derby.

Sites in Winshill, in Burton; and Barton-under-Needwood, both in Staffordshire, are also part of scheduled works in the near future.

In Leicestershire, a new food store is planned for Ashby. Revamps are planned for sites in Rothley, Markfield, Mountsorrel, Burbage, Leicester, Blaby, and Shepshed.

In Nottingham, plans are in place for a new food store in Bottesford. A revamp is also set to take place in Stapleford.

In Northamptonshire, plans are in place to build a new food store in Irthlingborough later in the year while Suffolk gets a new food store in the Thornley Green area of Stowupland and revamp work is scheduled for Lowestoft, and Loddon in Norfolk.

“We want to continue with that success and this is why we are committed to an ambitious growth and investment strategy during the next 12 months,” said chief executive Martyn Cheatle.

“We are now in the process of getting ready to open and revamp dozens of food stores and funeral homes and we cannot wait to welcome colleagues, members and shoppers, both old and new, into them for the first time during 2018.”

The society opened eight new food stores and relaunched more than 20 convenience stores last year at a cost of £15m.