Opening date for new store

Community retailer Lincolnshire Co-op is getting ready to open a new food store in Donington later this month.

The society is taking over the Co-op Group store in Donington’s Market Place. The store closed for a refit on Saturday 8^th November and will reopen as a Lincolnshire Co-op on Sunday 23^rd November.

Once the £100,000 revamp is complete, new signage will be introduced inside and outside. There will be an extensive choice of chilled meal options, beers and wines, fruit and veg and groceries and a range of new services and products. These include frozen restaurant-quality ready meals from Praveen Kumar, freshly baked bread from Gadsby’s bakery, and an extended food-to-go offer including Costa Coffee Express and Tango Ice Blast.

Lincolnshire Co-op sources products from its trading area through the Love Local range, and local suppliers for Donington will include Boston Sausage, Grasmere Farm, based in Market Deeping, and Taylor’s Bulbs, from Holbeach.

The society has around 3,000 existing dividend card holders in the Donington area and residents are being encouraged to become members so they can benefit from cashback when they shop.

Lincolnshire Co-op is an independent co-operative, trading mainly in Greater Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and surrounding counties. It has a Support Centre in Lincoln.

The society is part of the same buying group as Co-op Group, sharing own-brand products, but both are separate businesses with different community support programmes, trading models, dividend cards and membership structure.

Lincolnshire Co-op runs the pharmacy in Donington, and other nearby services including a food store and pharmacy in Swineshead, a pharmacy in Kirton, and a food store and post office in Gosberton, alongside a range of outlets in Boston and Spalding.

When the store reopens, it will be supporting local charities through the Community Champions scheme. The Ruby Hunt Trust, which runs a pop-in centre in Donington, and Gosberton & Quadring Good Neighbour Scheme will benefit from a donation every time a member uses their dividend card, and through money raised through collection boxes and colleague fundraising.

There will also be a collection point in store for the local food bank, Agape Care based in Spalding.

Lincolnshire Co-op and Co-op Group have worked together to ensure no jobs were put at risk during the process and the team are looking forward to reopening and welcoming customers back in store.

Lincolnshire Co-op’s Membership Engagement Manager Rik Greig said: “We’re excited to welcome new members to Lincolnshire Co-op so that more local people can benefit from what we offer, including 1% cashback on purchases.

“Every time our members shop with us, local good causes benefit from a donation and we know that the Ruby Hunt Trust and Gosberton & Quadring Good Neighbour Scheme are doing fantastic work in the community.

“We’ll be on hand on opening day and beyond to help people with the process of signing up and it’s simple to do via our website too.”