Central England Co-operative celebrates double opening at Marsh Lane, Erdington

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 26/08/2016


Central England Co-operative opened the doors to its new food store and funeral home at Marsh Lane, Erdington today, Friday 26 August.

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Carl Rice officially opened the food store and 50 lucky shoppers received a golden ticket – with one walking away with a brand new 50” television.

The opening of the brand new food store offers a wide range of products and services to meet the needs of local residents with fixtures and fittings including the latest in pioneering new energy efficient refrigeration and LED lighting technologies to minimise environmental impact.

As part of Central England Co-operative’s £1.7million investment in the local area, the food store has created seven new jobs for the local community. The two sites now employ 26 members of staff, many of whom have benefited from new training and development in their roles.

Claudette Chambers, 51 from Erdington revealed that she was amazed when she unwrapped her golden ticket to find out she had won a 50” TV.

Claudette said: “I’m lost for words! It’s not very often I win anything. I’m so pleased to receive this fabulous prize – I’m going to give it to my son who is buying his first house.”

Other golden ticket winners shared a mix of Co-operative gift vouchers, Truly Irresistible Fairtrade chocolate bars, a coffee machine and a smoothie maker.

Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Carl Rice, said: “The store is exactly what I expected from a modern convenience store – it’s bright, spacious and well positioned.

“I am thrilled to be here to open the co-op store at Marsh Lane, especially as the co-op played a part in my childhood. I wish the store, all staff and customer every success.”

Marsh Lane Co-operative Store Manager, Charlotte Henshaw, said:

“Our team were so excited to finally allow our members and customers to see our new store. The store looks fantastic and already customers have been making many positive comments about how it looks and the different products and services now available.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank customers for their patience during the move, it has been long-awaited, but hopefully everyone will enjoy the store as much as we do.

“All of us here at Marsh Lane food store are proud to be part of such a great community and are looking forward to welcoming all customers, old and new, to come and enjoy our new food store.”


The Marsh Lane Co-operative food store is open from 7am – 10pm every day. The store offers a wide range of products from everyday necessities to something a little more special. The store offer includes: fresh and local fruit and vegetables, an in-store bakery offering breads and pastries, chilled beers and wines, fresh and frozen product, Truly Irresistible product ranges and a great selection of food to go.

The store also offers; Paypoint, Collect Plus, Lottery, foreign currency, a free car park and a free cash machine.

The Marsh Lane Co-operative funeral home offers a 24 hour service, seven days a week. In addition to arranging funerals, the team are also able to offer advice on floral tributes, monumental masonry, funeral stationery, pre-paid funeral plans and probate advice. The team can be contacted on 0121 382 3030.

ENDS

Picture reference: Marsh Lane Co-operative celebrating the launch of both its food store and funeral home with The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Carl Rice and some very happy shoppers.

 





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 projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. Central England Co-operative has more than 430 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 2016/17.

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 Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

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

Rob Smyth / Jo Baldock at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop