Co-op to revamp Ellesmere and Bishop's Castle stores in 2018

The stores in Ellesmere and Bishop's Castle are among the 150 across the country which are being revamped.

It forms part of a venture worth more than £160 million which will also see 100 new food stores across the UK opening in 2018, creating around 1,600 new jobs.

More than 20 of the new stores will open in London, up to 18 in Scotland, 10 in Wales and others in England in cities and towns.

In the West Midlands it includes one at Sedgley Road, Woodsetton, on the site of the former Summerhouse pub with others at Wynall Lane, Stourbridge; Leabrook Road, Tipton and Chapel Lane, Burtonwood.

It would be the third year in a row in which the Co-operative Group has opened 100 or more new sites.

The new look stores will see the Co-op focus on offering a wide range of fresh, healthy foods, meal ideas and essentials, alongside increased ranges of own brand and locally-sourced produce.

The news follows the announcement of an agreement for the Co-op to become the exclusive wholesale supplier to the 2,200 Costcutter Group stores, and the deal to buy Nisa Retail, which is conditional on Competition and Markets Authority approval.

Jo Whitfield, chief executive of Co-op Food said: "The Co-op is positively responding to the changes occurring within this dynamic sector. Our food business is going from strength to strength in what is clearly a challenging retail market.

"We have the ambition for our stores to be at the heart of local life, bringing communities together and offering our members and customers great quality products when and where they need them."

Stuart Hookins, Co-op's director of portfolio and development, said: "The Co-op's extensive acquisitions and refit programme is a fundamental part of our food strategy.

"Moving forward with a clear purpose and momentum, our expansion plans for 2018 will mean that the Co-op is on track to have opened at least 100 new stores in each of three consecutive years.

"With over one million new active members joining us in the last year, we are always looking for new locations to get closer to where our members and customers live and work and to meet their shopping needs conveniently."

Mr Hookins said Co-op members were now telling it where they would like to see a new Co-op store opening to serve their community through its suggest-a-site website at https://www.coop.co.uk/forms/suggest-a-site

The group, which has grown to be the Uk's fifth largest food retailer, has more than 2,500 medium-sized, convenience and local stores across the UK and employs nearly 70,000.

The Co-op has added around 1.3 million new members since it re-launched its membership proposition in September 2016 and now has around 4.6m active members countrywide. Members receive a five per cent reward when they buy own-brand products and services and, the Co-op donates a further one per cent to local community groups. In 2017, the Co-op shared £20m with around 8,000 local groups, charities and good causes.