Central England Co-op says ‘thank you’ to all NHS workers by giving them 10% discount

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 07/04/2020

Central England Co-op is today rolling out a 10% discount to all NHS workers to say thank you for their efforts working on the frontline to help tackle the Coronavirus.

All NHS workers have to do is show their ID card when they visit any of the retailer’s 242 food stores to receive 10% off all food and other essentials.

They will also be able to get priority access to Central England Co-op stores by moving to the front of any external queue when waiting to enter.

Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op Chief Executive, said: “Our NHS workers are playing a vital role at this uncertain time and that’s why we wanted to do something to say thank you for their incredible efforts.

 “Front line workers, similar to our own colleagues in our stores and funeral homes, are essential to ensuring communities continue to be helped and supported and we cannot thank them enough for their efforts.”

The retailer is also backing the weekly 8pm NHS clap on a Thursday that sees people show their appreciation for the work of front-line health workers.

This comes after the retailer previously announced a range of measures to support and say ‘thank you’ to its own colleagues for going above and beyond to keep community stores open.

The retailer reduced its opening hours to allow time for cleaning and restocking shelves with food and essentials, as well as ensuring staff get more time with their families to rest and recuperate.

It also brought forward its annual share of profits and increased its colleague discount.

Plastic screens are also being installed at all till points as part of its ongoing efforts to keep colleagues and customers safe. 

People can keep up to date with what is happening in their local community by visiting a dedicated online hub at www.centralengland.coop/updates

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral, travel and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop