New Co-op launches to serve Uckfield community

Pupils from the Harlands Community Primary School joined the store team and helped cut the ribbon and declare the new Co-op open to serve the community.

The 2,500 sq ft purpose-built convenience store, located in Eastbourne Road, Ridgewood (Uckfield) brings into use surplus space in the grounds of the Highlands Inn creating a ‘community hub’. It opens between 7am-10pm daily and supports 13 local jobs.

Designed to serve and support the community conveniently, the store includes customer car parking; a cash machine, in-store bakery and a Costa Coffee Express machine. This sits alongside a focus on fresh, healthy products, meal ideas and everyday essentials, food-to-go, Fairtrade products, chilled beers and award winning wines, ready meals, pizzas and free-from, vegan and plant-based products.

There is also a soft plastic recycle unit available in store to enable the community to recycle ‘soft plastics’ including: crisp packets and bread bags, lids from ready meals and yogurt pots, biscuit wrappers and, pet food pouches - ensuring all Co-op’s own food packaging is recyclable through either local authority kerbside collections, or the in-store soft plastic recycling.

James Thirlway, Store Manager, said: “We have had a great response. The whole team is delighted to launch Co-op’s newest store, to serve and support our community. We are really looking forward to welcoming Member-owners and customers into their new Co-op. Our aim is to operate at the heart of local life, we’ve worked to develop the range, choice and added services to create a compelling offer, conveniently. This includes a focus on delivering member-value so that the people who own our business, Co-op's member-owners, benefit every time they shop.”

Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer-owned co-operatives. Its Members own the business and play an intrinsic part in the governance of the organisation, enjoying a wide number of benefits including member-only pricing across everyday essentials and personalised offers via the Co-op Membership app.

More information about the benefits of Co-op Membership is available by visiting www.coop.co.uk/membership

The store will operate as a Co-op franchise. The convenience retailer is committed to growing its award-winning franchise business, with the model enabling Co-op to bring its products and, the benefits of Membership, to more communities. Its franchise partners have a unique opportunity to receive all the support, knowledge, training and technical expertise needed to successfully own, open and operate a Co-op convenience store.

To find out more about operating a Co-op franchise, visit www.coop.co.uk/franchise