The Co-op is to open 30 new stores in the run-up to Christmas, as the retailer continues its growth and gets closer to more communities.
An investment of more than £25m will see stores open across the UK throughout November and December including sites at transport hubs, key city locations and residential apartments – creating up to 500 jobs.
The Co-op stores include a free ATM, coffee dispenser and bakery alongside a focus on fresh, chilled and healthy products, food-to-go, vegan and free-from foods, award winning wines, meal ideas and, essentials. Car parking and Amazon lockers are also available at selected stores.
All stores will run on 100% renewable electricity, and provide a funding boost for local community causes through Co-op’s membership scheme.
Co-op Members receive a 5% reward on purchases of own brand products, with the retailer donating a further 1% to local causes.
Compostable carrier bags are also available in more than 1,000 Co-op food stores where the local authority accepts them as part of household food waste recycling. The not-for-profit compostable bags (priced at 5p) avoid shoppers - who forget their reusable bag - from buying a bag-for life for a single-use purpose or, a single-use plastic bag. Compostable bags have a secondary use as a food waste caddy liner in the home, and can be turned into peat free compost.
Co-op also offers a 10% discount off groceries to TOTUM cardholders (the new name for the NUS extra card) to support students during their studies.
Stuart Hookins, Co-op’s Director of Portfolio and Development, said, “Ease, speed and convenience continue to rise in importance for today’s time-pressed shopper – and, our focus is all about selecting the right location to deliver what our members and customers want, need and care about, conveniently.
'Connecting communities and bringing people together is at the very core of the Co-op, and every time an own-branded product is bought by our Members, local community groups receive funding. We continue to look for new sites which support our ambition to operate at the heart of local life and enable us to give back, and create social value in our communities.”
The Co-op picked up the Convenience Retailer of the Year and Food-to-go Retailer of the Year titles at the latest Retail Industry Awards.