Central Co-op Joins the Alconbury Weald Community with New Store
Posted by sam bishop | Published: 14/07/2023
Central Co-op has partnered with Urban & Civic to launch its brand new store in Alconbury Weald today (14th July), and the Society has worked hard to ensure the store delivers the same quality that Members and customers have come to expect.
The store features InPost parcel delivery lockers and a variety of ranges to suit all tastes, including Food to Go and Meal Deals, Fairtrade goods ranging from chocolate to coffee and bananas, a fresh bakery, COOK frozen ranges, and much more. There is also an Insomnia Coffee machine for takeaway coffees and beverages.
Customers and Members can expect products from Our Malawi Partnership as well, with a proportion from the sale of these products supporting the initiative and strengthening trading capacity in Malawi.
A free water refill station can be found in store, electric vehicles are catered for with charging points, and Smartcool refrigeration is included too, saving 25% in terms of kWh consumption and being more energy-efficient as a part of Central Co-op’s mission to create a sustainable Society for all
This also includes wider investment in solar panels across the trading estate via a partnership with Sol PV, along with additional partnerships like Too Good To Go, seeing food being sold at a reduced price at the end of the day to prevent it being wasted, and BillyChips, sold in store that can be given to homeless people to redeem for a hot or cold drink, or two can be redeemed for a meal deal.
Members can enjoy extra savings in store as part of Central Co-op’s Member pricing, which can be seen in store or via the Central Co-op Membership App. The App is easy to use and contains all Members need in one convenient place, including their card. Members can use the App to find their nearest store, funeral home, or florist, and access useful FAQs, along with the Membership Blog to see what Member events are happening across the Society.
25 new jobs have been created with the new store in Alconbury Weald, including a store manager, 3 team leaders, 2 in the bakery, and 19 customer services assistants.
Rebecca Britton, Regional Director for Communities and Partnerships at Urban&Civic, said: “We are delighted to welcome Central Co-op as our anchor store in The Glade, Alconbury Weald’s first local centre. The Co-op opening marks an important milestone for the development, providing the heart of the first phase of Alconbury Weald; giving residents greater choice and complementing our first local shop, Swynford Stores.”
“Alongside the Co-op, we’re particularly excited about the public square and green spaces in The Glade and will continue to work with partners and residents to bring forward the great ideas received during the consultations around pop-up markets, community events and seasonal activities. We’re also working with potential providers to start work on the future nursery as soon as possible.”
Central Co-op is honoured to become a part of this community and will continue to embrace it with further events as the year goes on, welcoming feedback from local customers and Members.
For further details, head to the Central Co-op website, Facebook, and Twitter. Details on becoming a Member can be found on the Membership site.
About Central Co-op
Central Co-op is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK, with a heritage stretching back over 175 years and interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.
Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its 7,700 colleagues serve customers across 440 plus trading sites in 21 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Its purpose is to create a sustainable Society for all.
It actively campaigns for food justice and works with FareShare Midlands and a network of local food banks. It also adds £1 to every Healthy Start Voucher redeemed in store and supports six schools in partnership with Magic Breakfasts.
The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter. The Society is also a member of Diversity in Retail and it is fully committed to addressing the impacts of climate change by reducing carbon and food waste, increasing recycling and investment in community Sustainable Spaces funded by the carrier bag levy. It recently launched its Malawi Partnership to support farmers and producers in the country through the Co-operative International Trading Development Fund.
It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £109,769.25 shared out between 121 good causes in 2022.
Press office contact: Sam Bishop, PR Specialist
Contact details:
sam.bishop@centralengland.coop
07385 048048