Central England Co-op invest over £15 million as part of expansion - nearly £1 million of which was in Yorkshire

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 02/01/2018


Central England Co-operative has revealed it has invested over £15 million and created dozens of jobs as part of ongoing efforts to improve the experience of customers during 2017 – with over £1.5 million spent in Yorkshire

Throughout the year the Society has opened eight new food stores and five new funeral homes as well as relaunching over 15 funeral sites and over 20 convenience stores.

The major development programme has seen individual areas such as Leicestershire and Derbyshire receive over £2 million in investment, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire over £1.5 million and nearly £1 million in Cambridgeshire.

In Yorkshire, the Society has opened four brand new food stores and revamped another - creating dozens of jobs and spending £1,720,000 in the process during 2017.

Members and customers have already been flocking to the new-look sites in Wooldale Road, Holmfirth, Holmfirth Road, New Mill, Springwood Road, Thongsbridge, and High Street, Dodworth, to take a closer look at the new fixtures and fittings including the latest in pioneering new energy efficient refrigeration technologies to minimise environmental impact and LED lighting.

Other sites to have received investment include the petrol station and food store in Halifax Road, Birchencliffe, which was rebuilt after the former store was left badly damaged by a fire in the middle of 2016.

Anyone who visited a new store on launch day would have taken part in a special Golden Ticket Giveaway, which saw 500 people walk away with prizes ranging from 50” televisions to Co-op vouchers.

Sharmon Crescent Co-operative Store Manager Samantha Clarke said:All of us here at Central England Co-operative Food Stores across our trading area are proud to be part of such great communities and are looking forward to welcoming all customers, old and new, to come and enjoy our new and revamped food stores.”

Funeral director Dave Manser said: "Our first priority is to enhance memories and love for all of our families and we are very pleased to offer that at all of our funeral homes.

“We feel they reflect our commitment to providing excellent standards of care for our families during their time of bereavement.”

The work throughout the year has been part of an ambitious food store and funeral home development programme, with further investment planned during 2018.

Customers and members will also be able to enjoy a range of community benefits as a result of the Society’s investment,

Last year, thousands of pounds were handed out to groups in the city from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund. A total of 122 groups shared over £200,000 during 2017.

The fund guarantees that at least one per cent of the Society’s trading profit is reinvested in local communities in a bid to help projects to thrive across its trading area.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time they spend in store to earn a share of the profits to accessing member activities.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

 

Notes to editors

 

About Central England Co-operative

 

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property investment. Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2017.

 

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

 

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

 

For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

 

Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

 

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop