Major investment set to transform Northamptonshire food store with completely new look

Posted by james brindle | Published: 11/02/2022

• Central England Co-op in Thrapston is currently being transformed ahead of being relaunched next month with a brand new look and a host of new features
• Features inside will include a zero-waste refill station and new self-checkout tills
• Improvements are also being made externally including a resurfaced car park with wider parking spaces and a free bicycle repair station and seating for the local community

A Central England Co-op in Northamptonshire is being transformed with a major investment to create a more modern and sustainable food store for the local community.

The food store in Oundle Road, Thrapston is being completely refreshed with a brand new look and a whole host of new features as the retailer outlines its commitment to the area.

Work is progressing on site, and it is planned that the store will relaunch on Friday, 4 March with changes set to include:

• A zero-waste refill station in partnership with fellow Co-op Suma Wholefoods, offering products such as oats, porridge, rice and dried fruit as part of long-term efforts to cut down on plastic packaging and waste
• All new eco-friendly refrigeration and lighting, a recycle station and free water refills
• New features including self-checkout tills
• Resurfaced car park with wider parking spaces and a free bicycle repair station and seating for the local community

The investment in the Thrapston store comes after almost half a million pounds was invested in Central England Co-op in Northampton last year, with refits of stores in Kettering, Desborough and Moulton.

It is also set to be the first of several major investments in the retailer’s larger stores in the coming weeks to create more modern and sustainable food stores, following the success of its award-winning transformation of its Boley Park store in Lichfield, Staffordshire which reopened in late 2020.

Oundle Road Store Manager Paul Carvell said: “We are delighted to have seen our store chosen for such a significant transformation which will make a huge difference to the shopping experience for our customers and members and create a store fit for the future we can all be proud of.

“We are really excited about the new features which are being added to the store, as well as some fantastic new ranges which I’m sure will be really popular with our shoppers.

“Unfortunately, there has had to be some disruption taking place due to the scale of the works including a short closure and I would like to thank our wonderful community in Thrapston for their patience. I’m sure once they see the result of the transformation, they will agree with us that it will have all been worth it.”

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 8,000 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 20 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

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