Co-op colleagues work around the clock to reopen store following ATM theft just hours after it officially opened following £1.2 million investment

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 06/07/2020

Retail heroes worked around the clock to ensure a brand new Central England Co-op store in Doncaster was reopened for the local community after being targeted by criminals just hours after opening its doors the first time.

Colleagues at the new Barnby Dun Food Store, in High Street, were left shocked after thieves used a digger to steal an ATM from the site on Friday evening (3 July) – just 12 hours after the ribbon had been cut to mark the opening of the new £1.2 million investment.

However, the team joined forces with others from across the business to make sure they were shut for less than 24 hours and re-opened quickly to offer the local community access to vital food and essentials.

Store Manager Neil Holmes said: “After being so proud of opening for the first time and enjoying a great first day, we were all devastated to find out we had been targeted by thieves after being open for less than 24 hours.

“But our co-operative spirit kicked into gear and we all worked around the clock to make sure that our store could safely reopen as soon as possible for our new community.

“We opened the doors less than 24 hours on from when the incident happened and have been overwhelmed by the messages of support from the people of Barnby Dun.

“We are delighted to be part of the community here and our hard work to reopen so quickly showcases what it means to all of us here at Central England Co-op.”

The incident left the building with some external damage which was quickly repaired and made safe for customers and members.

The Society is working closely with South Yorkshire Police as they continue their investigation.

The Barnby Dun Co-operative food store is open from 7am to 10pm, Monday to Sunday.

The store is on the site of the former Star Inn public house in the village and includes a customer car park with electric car charging points, a full range of products, a free water refill station, phone charging area and customer toilet.

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Before and after images showcasing the aftermath of the incident at the Central England Co-op store in Barnby Dun.

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral, travel and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 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. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop