Lichfield retailer to take on the likes of Harrods at prestigious design awards after Boley Park concept store receives double nomination
Posted by james brindle | Published: 27/09/2021
Lichfield-based Central England Co-op’s flagship Boley Park store has been recognised for its new design with two nominations at the 2021 Creative Retail Awards joining the likes of Harrods and Ralph Lauren on the shortlist.
The food store received a transformation as part of a £3 million project at the Boley Park site which has also seen a brand-new petrol filling station and car wash built, a redesigned car park and brand-new Coffee Shop open over the last 12 months.
The store saw a radical new design for the retailer and included numerous exciting features and firsts for Central England Co-op, including a special zero waste refill station and eco-friendly fridges that reduce carbon footprint by 60%.
It also includes design flourishes such as bespoke artwork highlighting Lichfield landmarks by local artist Chris Day adorning the walls.
The transformation was shortlisted at the 2021 Creative Retail Awards in two categories, Overall Store Collaboration Award and for the Best Shopfitting/Fit-out Award, where it is up against Harrods for its Beauty Hall.
Jamie Joyce, Store Manager at Boley Park, said: “All of the team here at Boley Park still can’t believe the transformation in the look and feel of the store. Thanks to the changes it has made us all really proud to open our doors every day to our great community in Lichfield.
“To see the project continuing to be recognised at such prestigious award ceremonies is a real boost for the team and reward for all the hard work that went into bringing this special project to life.”
The winners of the 2021 Creative Retail Awards will be announced at a glittering award ceremony at Proud Embankment in London on October 14.
The Boley Park transformation has also been shortlisted at the Grocery sector’s version of the Oscars, the Grocer Gold Awards, where it is up for Consumer Initiative of the Year category with the winners also decided next month.
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 with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.
Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its over 7,800 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 16 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
Its purpose is to inspire communities to create a sustainable Society for all.
It actively campaigns for the Government to increase sentencing for violent attacks on retail workers and works with FareShare Midlands and hundreds of food banks, generating enough food donations to create over 2.1 million meals for people in need.
The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter, while it is also fully committed to addressing the impact of climate change and is on track to be Carbon Neutral by 2030.
It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £175,000 shared out between 116 good causes over the past 12 months.
Central England Co-op was named Leading Co-op of the Year by Co-operatives UK in 2021.
Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle
Phone - 01543 421390
Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop