Co-op is set to open over 50 new or transformed stores across the UK before Christmas.
The openings, which will take Co-op’s store investment over the past year to more than £200m, are a variety of formats and locations, reflecting the diversity of communities Co-op operates in, it said.
These include at the new Brent Cross Town development in London, making it the first permanent retailer on site, as well as five more micro-format Co-op On The Go stores, including in Aylesbury, Kingston and Leamington.
The most northern of the 50 stores is in the Scottish Highlands village of Brora, while the most southerly are in Devon and Cornwall.
Co-op has also just launched a new 2,500 sq ft franchise store at Lancaster University, taking the number of Co-op’s university campus franchise stores to 11.
It features food to go, meal deals, hot food, in-store bakery and Costa Coffee. The diverse international student, research and teaching population will see an extended world foods range, Co-op added. Shoppers can also enjoy home delivery, member pricing, and an array of Fairtrade goods.
The pipeline of store openings comes as Co-op calls on government to deliver business rates reform to secure the future of small shops and community retail. It said certainty on business rates will be vital to sustaining investment and unlocking further growth across the sector.
“We’re investing in stores and communities right across the UK because we believe in the future of the high street,” said Co-op Group CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq.
“But sustained growth needs certainty. Business rates reform is vital if retailers – especially the 99% who run small stores – are to plan with confidence, protect jobs and keep local economies thriving.
“Co-op is showing what’s possible when businesses commit to communities. The government now has an opportunity in the autumn budget to do its part by delivering the reform that’s long been promised – giving every retailer, from small to large, the stability to invest and grow.”
No comments yet