Work set to begin on £3 million transformation of Boley Park Food Store in Lichfield

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 03/08/2020


Work is set to begin in the coming weeks on the transformation of Central England Co-op’s Boley Park Food Store in Lichfield as part of an investment worth over £3 million.

Soon customers and members will see the start of efforts to create a brand new store, revamped petrol station, a large unit that will house a gym and two further retail units.

The new store will feature a raft of new elements including special eco-friendly fridges and lighting, free water refill station, a phone charging area, customer seating inside and outside of the store as well as self-scan checkouts.

It will be featured with a range of safety measures in the light of the Coronavirus pandemic such as plastic screens, one-way system and social distancing.

Other new features will include new car park layout, including wider spaces, better traffic flow and improved lighting and walkways, new trees and planters, new car wash, electric charging points for cars and a bike repair station.

The exterior of the store will also be completely overhauled and will feature a mural created by local schoolchildren.

Matt Simpson, Boley Park Store Manager, said: “We are delighted to see work soon get under way for the transformation of our store.

“Colleagues, customers and members are already excited about the amazing changes we have planned and we all cannot wait to see the improved shopping and working environment for everyone.

“There will unfortunately be some disruption while the works take place but we will be open throughout and we will keep everyone up to date with the latest news via in store messaging, posters and local press announcements.

 “Central England Co-op, which has its head office in the city, is proud to call Lichfield its home and this transformation showcases our desire to invest in the local area with a new, vibrant and modern shopping experience.”

If work goes as planned, it is hoped that the new store will open in November. Once the new store is open for business work will begin on the three additional business units.

 

Notes to editors

Picture caption: A preview of what the new store at Boley Park will look like.

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