Central England Co-op has officially opened its new store in Houlton, Warwickshire creating 20 new jobs and investing £600k in the local community.
The Society today officially opened its new store powered by 100% renewable energy in the brand-new community at Dollman Farm, Houlton offering locals food and essentials on their doorstep.
Features of the store include self-scan till points, great products including hot food to go and Costa Coffee and Tango Ice Blast machines, as well as a customer toilet with baby changing facilities.
The Houlton Co-operative food store is open from 7am to 10pm, Monday to Sunday and offers a wide range of products. There are fresh fruit and vegetables, an in-store bakery offering breads and pastries, chilled beers and wines, fresh and frozen product, Irresistible product ranges, as well as a great selection of food-to-go, including hot food.
Customers can use Scan and Go, allowing them to use a mobile app to help make their shopping experience even easier, with home delivery also available in-store.
Store Manager Michael Young said, “It is great to finally open our doors to the local community as the team have been desperate to support our neighbours and ensure they can access food and essentials during the pandemic.
“All of us here at the new store are proud to be part of such a great new community in Houlton so we are delighted to be able to support Rugby Food Bank which is offering a lifeline to vulnerable residents and people struggling in these testing times.
“All the team were so happy to be joined on our big day by children from St Gabriel’s C of E Academy and I would like to thank the children for their brilliant artwork which we are so proud to be able to include inside the store and see every day while we serve the community.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank local residents for their patience. It has been long-awaited, but hopefully everyone will enjoy the store as much as we do.”
The new food store is the latest phase of the Dollman Farm development at Houlton, a brand-new community created by developers Urban&Civic.
Mike van den Berg, Senior Development Manager at Urban&Civic, said, “We are delighted to welcome Central England Co-op into the Houlton Community. This store is the first for Houlton and we are excited to see our community benefit from access to everyday essentials on their doorstep.
“Our existing neighbours at Dollman Farm are also looking forward to working together to enhance sustainability, promote fewer journeys to large supermarkets, and reduce our collective carbon footprint.”
