Co-op news

At IGD Live last week we heard from an incredible line-up of leading UK and international food-to-go specialists, retailers and manufacturers. Here's what they said about how their businesses are tackling the five big trends in food-to-go .  The rise and rise of health and wellness As interest in healthy lifestyles increases, how can retailers meet the need for healthier food-to-go in ...

London is home to some of the best food-to-go operators anywhere in the world.  Many brands that have gone on to become global names have started here as just a single site.  Although rents may be high and competition fierce, the sheer density of consumers and pace of life mean it’s where many food-to-go businesses launch flagship stores, test new concepts and pursue the latest trends. This is...

Convenience retailer Co-op has launched its first customer app designed to bring the digital dimension to the shopping experience of its 4.6m members. Brings personalised deals to drive shopper frequency Primarily intended as a digital medium for its membership loyalty programme, enabling shoppers to collect and track their reward balance, the app adds further benefits to the existing card-...

The Co-op has signed an exclusive deal with the National Union of Students (NUS) to be the grocery retail store franchise partner on NUS member locations across UK universities and colleges.  The Co-op already has four franchise stores operating on university sites, including Leeds and Newcastle, and this deal now potentially could see the Co-op brand accessing a student population of up to seven...

Following our latest retail/ food-to-go fusion safari in London last week, we highlight three trends and developments to learn from in the UK’s capital right now. The growth and growth of food halls If you’ve not been to London for say, three months, you’ll find a whole lot of new development to see, experience and learn from. The pace of growth has been rapid this year. Arcade Kitchen, at ...

The grocery market returned to growth in the 12 weeks to September 8th with sales at +0.5% according to Kantar. Following a challenging summer, the warmer weather over the August bank holiday helped to boost sales. We look at the results in more detail including the impressive performances from Co-op and Ocado. Stand-out performance from Co-op Co-op saw excellent growth in this period with ...

Co-op annonced strong interim results as the retailer continues to outperform the market. Total sales increased by 12% to £5.4 billion, reflecting the full contribution of the Nisa business and continued strong performance of the Food business.  The retailer also returned £29 million of benefits to members and £6 million to 4,000 local causes. Food growth in a competitive market Total Food ...

Co-op’s Retail Business Transformation programme (RBT) is the biggest transformation programme the convenience store retailer has ever undertaken. System pilot launched with 15 suppliers The pilot will support Co-op’s “ambitious growth strategy”, bringing new technology to optimise metrics such as availability, stock holding and ranging, in addition to improving the accuracy of forecasting ...

National convenience retailer Co-op is to extend the trial of its app-based pay-in-aisle technology, with 30 stores planned to be enabled for shoppers to scan and pay through their mobile phones, without the need visit a till, by the end of August.  The system allows for payment through either Apple or Google Pay and was first unveiled in early 2018. 30 stores focused in busy urban locations ...

The Co-op has today unveiled two new Co-op on the go stores, following on from a successful trial of a store at Piccadilly Station in Manchester.  Three stores to open this week The first of these is in London, located under a railway arch, at America Square, close to Fenchurch Street station. The second is in Pinhoe, Exeter, while a third will open later this week in Edinburgh. Targetin...