Hertfordshire’s first East of England Co-op Food store opens

Bishop’s Stortford residents can now visit the East of England Co-op’s first Food store in Hertfordshire as the retailer opens at the Goodsyards development.

The store opened to a busy first day with commuters taking advantage of its convenient location opposite the Bishop’s Stortford train station.

In opening the new Food branch, the East of England Co-op has recruited 22 customer Service Assistants and Team Managers from the local area to work in the fast-paced, community-focused environment.

Elaine Payne has also been announced as the new Food store manager. Elaine has worked in multiple roles for the East of England Co-op over eight years, most recently at its Maldon store in the neighbouring county of Essex.

The new Food store provides all the everyday essentials as well as an exciting range of hot and cold ‘food to go’ options, including an in-store bakery and fresh coffee.

With Food stores across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, the retailer is now adding Hertfordshire to the counties in which it operates. The East of England Co-op is independent of the national Co-op Group and other regional co-operatives. 

Elaine Payne, the new store manager at the East of England Co-op’s Bishop’s Stortford store, said: “We’ve had a great opening day, with staff busy welcoming local faces and introducing them to their fantastic new Food store. I’m passionate about working for a retailer with the local community at its forefront and I was thrilled to be appointed Branch Manager for this new store.

“I am excited for East of England Co-op to become part of the town, making connections with members of the community, and residents in Bishop’s Stortford.”

Doug Field OBE, Chief Executive Officer at the East of England Co-op, said: “We’re thrilled to have opened our first Hertfordshire Food store, in Bishop’s Stortford. Supporting local communities across the East of England is and will always remain at the heart of what we do, which is why we’re so excited to now offer our quality products and exceptional customer service to the county of Hertfordshire.

“New store openings are great news for our members and the communities in which our stores are based.

We look forward to being an active part of the local area and will support Foodbanks and the other community outreach programmes through our Community Cares Fund.”

A spokesperson for Solum, said: “We are delighted to welcome the East of England Co-op to the Goodsyard, particularly as their first foray into Hertfordshire. Whilst their food store anchors our scheme, being the first occupier to be announced to date, we firmly believe their active approach to engaging with and supporting local communities offers a true point of difference, which will be experienced by not only residents of the Goodsyard, but the wider town and station users alike.”

The new store is open 6am-10pm Monday to Saturday and 7am-10pm on Sundays. You can find the new store opposite Bishop’s Stortford Train Station at East of England Co-op, 68 Carriage House, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire.