The East of England Co-operative Society is extending a free home delivery service following a successful trial.

Customers living within five miles of 17 of the Co-op’s stores in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk now qualify for free delivery, subject to a minimum spend of £25.

The service, to which an 18th store is to be added shortly, is available in the same areas for those spending less than £25, but with a £3.50 delivery charge.

Customers simply call into the store, select a home delivery time slot and then start shopping. Deliveries can be made the same day and cover everything from bulky household items to the weekly food shop.

Clive Read, projects co-ordinator at the East of England Co-op, said: “Our customers really appreciate the new service. It makes it easy for them to select bulky items or white goods, such as fridges or washing machines, happy in the knowledge that the product can be in their homes later that day, with no extra charges for delivery.

“It’s also a great help to our many customers who walk to store or rely on public transport. It gives them the freedom to buy as much as they need without worrying how they are going to carry it home, or saves them the expense of hiring a taxi.”

Stores covered by the scheme include Combs Ford, Felixstowe, Framlingham, Hadleigh, Ipswich (Rosehill), Leiston and Wickham Market in Suffolk, Brightlingsea, Burnham, Clacton, Colchester (Abbots Road), Frinton, Halstead, Manningtree, Stanway and West Mersea in Essex and Long Stratton in Norfolk.

The service represents an investment by the society of around £500,000, including the purchase of 12 new delivery vans.

Roger Grosvenor, executive for retail at the East of England Co-op, said: “Anything that makes life easier for our customers makes good business sense to us and so we’re really pleased to be bringing free home delivery to so many more stores.

“We’re getting great feedback from customers who are already using the service and we hope to be able to roll this out to more stores in the future.”