Co-op unveils £1.2m refurbishment

THE East of England Co-operative Society has relaunched its Felixstowe town centre retail outlets following the completion of a £1.2million refurbishment programme.

Work on the units, which involve supermarket, home store, pharmacy, opticians and petrol forecourt operations, began in March and the new look was celebrated with a traditional ribbon cutting, performed by society vice-president Roger Smith.

The 21,205 sq ft supermarket has been refitted to the society's new brand standards with extended ranges and a wider focus on locally sourced products.

The home store continues to offer a wide range of goods for the home including electrical, furniture and clothing, the opticians and pharmacy have been refitted and the petrol forecourt has also been rebranded, with the shop now also selling newspapers and magazines.

Richard Samson, society chief executive, said: “This is a significant investment in Felixstowe town centre and I am delighted with the changes we have made. I am sure our members and customers will appreciate the new look and we have already received some very positive comments.”

Mr Samson added: “We have a multi-million pound development programme, which includes rolling out our new East of England Co-op brand to many of our stores in the region.

“The Felixstowe development gives our customers the opportunity to see what the society has to offer at its very best and the Felixstowe supermarket joins our newly built Stanway supermarket in Colchester as one of our flagship stores.”

Guests at the re-opening ceremony included the Mayor and Mayoress of Felixstowe, Mike and Anne Deacon. The society is also celebrating the improvements by helping local schools in the form of a donation towards a range of projects, including the creation of green areas and play zones.

There has been a co-op grocery store in Hamilton Road, Felixstowe, since 1921. The present complex was completed in 1985 as part of the Great Eastern Square development which incorporates the former Felixstowe Town railway station building, built in Arts and Crafts style in 1898 and now a listed building.