Leicester City join forces with Central England Co-op to help boost local community during uncertain times

Posted by mike ankers | Published: 23/03/2020


Central England Co-op colleagues working around the clock to serve the community in Leicester were delighted to receive a helping hand today from an unfamiliar source.
Store Manager Sally Smith and her team have been going above and beyond to replenish stock levels and keep stores open during these uncertain times.
This was why there were smiles round as dozens of volunteers from Leicester City in the Community turned up at the Aikman Avenue store, in New Parks, to lend a helping and give colleagues a well deserved break.
Sally said: “The team are working so hard for the local community and that was why it was such a nice surprise when Leicester City in the Community got in touch and said they wanted to help.
“They already do a lot of work around the New Parks area where we are and know how important it is for the community for our shelves to be full and our store to remain open.
“So they decided they wanted to temporary co-operators and came along and helped out with customers and helped our great team during this tough time.
“They are going to come in again across several days next week and we cannot thank them enough for the support.
“I also want to say a big thank you to all of my team here for going above and beyond and all of the other front-line colleagues at Central England Co-op for leading the way for our communities.”
The retailer has recently launched a range of measures to help those whose lives have been affected by the Coronavirus.
This includes:
•    An urgent food bank appeal to support its charity partners after they reported a major fall in donations at the same time as a spike in demand.
•    A mass recruitment drive for Customer Service Advisors in many of its stores to ensure the community continues to be served.
•    Donations to FareShare Midlands and Dementia UK to allow them to continue their vital community services
Central England Co-op is also asking all customers to show ‘care, compassion and respect’ to its colleagues as they work around the clock to serve their communities.
The retailer is asking people to come together and support its front-line colleagues who are going above and beyond to replenish stock levels and keep stores open.
In its food stores, the Society has also put in place a temporary limit of two of every product to help maintain stock levels but has reassured customers that there are no issues with its robust supply lines and that shops are getting daily delivers.
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
Picture caption: Central England Co-op colleagues and Leicester City in the Community volunteers come together to help others.
About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. 

It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, and property investment.

Central England Co-operative has 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.  The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2020.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports several charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 421390

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop