Co-op plans to open more than 50 new or refurbished stores across the UK before Christmas, including two locations in East Anglia, while calling on the Government to deliver long-promised business rates reform.
The investment, exceeding £200 million across 2024 and 2025, covers more than 200 new and transformed stores. Co-op said that certainty over business rates is essential to give small and medium-sized retailers the confidence to plan, invest, and protect jobs in local communities.
In East Anglia, the new stores are scheduled to open in Flitwick, Bedfordshire, and Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire. These sites reflect Co-op’s ongoing commitment to supporting convenience retail in smaller towns and rural communities, ensuring access to essential goods while maintaining local high streets.
Shirine Khoury-Haq, chief executive of Co-op Group, said: “We are investing in stores and communities across the UK because we believe in the future of the high street. But sustained growth needs certainty. Business rates reform is vital if retailers – especially the 99% who run small stores – are to plan with confidence, protect jobs and keep local economies thriving.
“Co-op is showing what is possible when businesses commit to communities. The Government now has an opportunity in the Autumn Budget to deliver the reform that has long been promised, giving every retailer the stability to invest and grow.”
Co-op said that each new store would offer member price savings, parcel collection, and rapid delivery through its online shop and partners including Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats. These services aim to provide convenience for residents and support the growing demand for online and same-day delivery in East Anglia.
The Flitwick and Gamlingay sites are designed to strengthen the presence of Co-op in local communities, providing access to a wide range of food and convenience products while supporting the local economy. Co-op emphasised that investment in these towns also helps maintain jobs and promotes stability for surrounding retailers.
Co-op said that long-term business rates reform would provide crucial stability for retailers operating in East Anglia and across the UK. The retailer argued that reform would encourage further investment, enabling more local shops to open, modernise, and continue serving their communities effectively.
The company also highlighted its ongoing commitment to ethical sourcing. Co-op sources 100% of its fresh and frozen meat from UK farms, including meat used as ingredients. These standards will apply to all new East Anglia stores, reflecting the retailer’s wider commitment to supporting British farmers and producers.
Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer-owned co-operatives, with a history exceeding 180 years. Owned by more than seven million members, it operates over 2,300 food stores and more than 800 funeral homes across the UK, alongside insurance and legal services. The group employs more than 53,000 colleagues and generates annual revenues of over £11 billion.
Alongside full-size stores, Co-op is expanding its micro-format “on the go” stores, following recent launches in Solihull and Altrincham, with further sites in Aylesbury, Kingston, and Leamington planned. These smaller stores complement the Flitwick and Gamlingay openings, providing accessible convenience retail for local residents and supporting high streets across East Anglia.
