Central England Co-operative has revealed it has invested over £13.4 million and created dozens of jobs as part of ongoing efforts to improve the experience of customers during 2018.
Throughout the year the Society has opened 10 new Food Stores and six new Funeral Homes as well as relaunching 22 funeral sites and 30 convenience stores.
The major development programme has seen individual areas such as Derbyshire receive over £4 million, Leciestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham and the West Midlands receive over £1 million each and £700,000 spent in Yorkshire.
Members and customers have already been flocking to the new food stores and funeral homes to take a closer look at the new fixtures and fittings including the latest in pioneering new energy efficient refrigeration technologies to minimise environmental impact and LED lighting.
Anyone who visited a new store on launch day would have taken part in a special Golden Ticket Giveaway, which saw hundreds of people walk away with prizes ranging from 50” televisions to Co-op vouchers.
Co-operative Store Manager Peter Sayers said: “All of us here at Central England Co-operative Food Stores across our trading area are proud to be part of such great communities and are looking forward to welcoming all customers, old and new, to come and enjoy our new and revamped Food Stores.”
Funeral Director Andy Eeley said: “Our first priority is to enhance memories and love for all of our families and we are very pleased to offer that at all of our funeral homes.
“We feel they reflect our commitment to providing excellent standards of care for our families during their time of bereavement.”
The work throughout the year has been part of an ambitious food store and funeral home development programme, with further investment planned during 2019.
Customers and members will also be able to enjoy a range of community benefits as a result of the Society’s investment,
Last year, thousands of pounds were handed out to groups in the city from Central England Co-operative’s Community Dividend Fund. A total of 152 groups shared over £187,000 during 2018.
The fund guarantees that at least one per cent of the Society’s trading profit is reinvested in local communities in a bid to help projects to thrive across its trading area.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time they spend in store to earn a share of the profits to accessing member activities.
