East of England Co-op's West Mersea Food store reopens following major refurbishment

The East of England Co-op has reopened its West Mersea Food store following a major refurbishment. This project represents one of the largest East of England Co-op refurbishment projects in recent years and was completed by colleagues across the regional retailer's business including former West Mersea Food store managers and residents of Mersea Island. 

The 8,000 sq ft Food store reopens with a modern look and feel alongside an extended fresh food, food-to-go offering and a “perfectly chilled” beer and wine section. Since reopening, the store has seen an increase in transactions by 16% vs the same period last year, as well as an increase in fresh food sales by 22%. 

The retailer’s West Mersea Food store also reopens with the inclusion of its first-ever Community Hub, a bookable space dedicated to supporting the retailer’s commitment to improving community cohesion and integration. The space has already been popular within the community, with seven charities and community groups booking the space to run activities. 

To ensure the store remains as energy efficient as possible, the retailer has made improvements to the store’s refrigeration and lighting, as well as installing solar panels on the roof of the Food store. These sustainability improvements have seen reductions in energy consumption by as much as 55% in other recently opened and refurbished East of England Co-op Food stores. 

Chris Harrington, Branch Manager for the East of England Co-op's West Mersea Food store said: “I’m proud to reopen the doors to our West Mersea Food store. West Mersea represents one of our business' biggest refurbishments to date, to see the work that has gone on to bring this project to life, makes me immensely proud and I'm excited to lead the store into the future. 

“For West Mersea to also be home to our first-ever Community Hub adds another layer of success to this project. We're proud our store can provide a safe space for local community groups to raise awareness of what they do as well as provide essential services to the community in West Mersea.” 

The East of England Co-op is owned by its members and is driven by its commitment to supporting local communities. The retailer has donated over £1 million to good causes in East Anglia over the last three years.