A new community hub featuring a food store and a pharmacy will open in Swineshead on Thursday 19th July after a major investment from Lincolnshire Co-op.
The £1.6m outlet in High Street has created 15 jobs in the new food store. It features a range of services including an in-store bakery, fresh fruit and vegetables, groceries and lots of chilled space offering food-to-go, meal options and beers and wines.
The development will provide much-improved facilities for the colleagues and patients of the Society’s pharmacy, which relocates to the hub from its current home, also in High Street. The new branch features a private consultation room and a larger dispensing area.
To prepare for the opening of their new outlet, colleagues from the food store and the pharmacy got together to help the local community by undertaking a staff volunteering project at Swineshead St Mary’s Primary School (see pictures below).
During the team-building day, colleagues painted equipment and tidied up outside areas.
Food Store Manager Emma Relton (above left) said: “It was great to do the volunteering so we could introduce ourselves to the community. Hopefully we can come back and do more in the future.
“We’re all excited for the challenge of the new store opening and providing our valued services to people in the area.”
Sydney Elston will be kept busy when the outlet opens – she’ll be working as a pharmacy medicines counter assistant and as a food store customer services assistant.
“We’re all looking forward to the new store coming to Swineshead. There’s a lot more houses here now and it’s going to really help people in the village,” she said.
“The facilities in the pharmacy will make it easier for customers to access medical care and with the food store and pharmacy being in one place, they only need to go to one location to get all they need.”
The food store opens its doors at 7am on Thursday 19th July and the pharmacy will start welcoming customers from 9am. An official opening ceremony with invited guests will be held at 2.30pm on that day.
Lincolnshire Co-op has a Love Local range in every food store and will be promoting it to Swineshead shoppers during the opening celebrations so they can show their support for local producers.
Every customer who shops on opening day will get a goodie bag from Lincolnshire Co-op’s own bakers Gadsby’s, featuring a honey and sunflower seed loaf and a chocolate orange cake. Those who spend over £15 will receive a free Pipers Crisps tasting box.
There’s also a free family fun day at the store on Saturday 21st July featuring samples from local producer, a Spin to Win game, a face painter and a balloon maker. Residents can join in the fun from 10am until 4pm.
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