New £1.5m outlet to open in Sturton by Stow

A new food store in Sturton by Stow will open its doors to shoppers on Thursday 12th December after a major investment from Lincolnshire Co-op.

The £1.5m outlet on Marton Road has created 15 jobs for the local area. There’s a range of services including groceries, baked goods from Gadsby’s Bakery, food-to-go options, chilled beers and wines, takeaway Costa Coffee and a free-to-use ATM.

It will also stock products from Lincolnshire Co-op’s Love Local range, which features goods sourced from the area, including Uncle Henry’s Farm near Gainsborough.

The outlet features a car park with 23 spaces and will open from 7am until 10pm seven days a week. It will open for the first time at 7am on Thursday 12th December and an official opening ceremony with invited guests will be held at 4pm on that day.

It’s the first Lincolnshire Co-op outlet to incorporate an environmentally-friendly sedum roof covered with vegetation which absorbs rain.

A range of other eco measures are also in place including a smart building management system to decrease energy use, fridge doors that reduce energy consumption by around 20%, LED lights and a C02 refrigeration system which has a lower global-warming impact compared to those using traditional chemical gases.

Lincolnshire Co-op worked closely with Lincolnshire County Council’s historic places team to ensure historic features in the former pub building on the site had been recorded. The findings were presented at a history event organised by The Society in the village in November.

Beams from the building have been upcycled into benches which will sit outside the store along with a plaque.

To prepare for the opening and get to know one another, colleagues from the food store volunteered their time to wrap presents ready for Santa’s grotto at Bransby Horses Rescue and Welfare. They also supported with maintenance tasks after the area was hit with floods during the November rain.

Food Store Manager Patrick Sutton said: “Doing the volunteering means we’ve been able to make a difference to the local community even before the store has opened. Days like this are great because not only are you helping an important charity, but you can gel as a team and get to know one another.

“We’re all eager to get started welcoming people into the new outlet and begin providing our services in the area."