Step inside new food store

A new Lincolnshire Co-op food store has opened its doors and welcomed customers inside for the first time.

The £1.2 million outlet in Bourne Road in Morton was officially unveiled today, Thursday 3rd May.

Celebrations included an official ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Lincolnshire Co-op President Julia Romney with Chief Executive Ursula Lidbetter.

And two local causes were each presented with £500 to mark the occasion.

One cheque was given to Morton Village Hall, which supports and provides space for many local groups in the area. Caretaker Andy Baldock said the money would help improve outside lighting at the hall.

“We’re very pleased with the donation," he said.

“We’re going to use it to put a new frame rig outside the village hall to make it lighter at night for people using our facility.”

The other £500 was donated to Morton New Day Baptist Church, which runs four children’s groups along with friendship and activities for 24 older people in the area.

Reverend Andy McManus said the money would help fund those services plus two events in July – a special summer holiday caravan break for families and a holiday club for between 30 and 50 people.

"We need this £500 to help fund these activities, and every penny will go to the community," he said.

The new food store has created 15 full and part-time roles for the area and features lots of facilities for shoppers to enjoy.

Inside there's an instore bakery, hot food-to-go, chilled wines and beers and a Costa Coffee machine. It sits on the site of a former pub and includes an 18-space car park.

The opening celebrations will continue over the following four weeks, as customers who spend over £15 on groceries will have £3 taken off their total shop with a voucher.

And people who spend over £20 during the store’s first week of trade will be given a Pipers Crisps tasting box containing eight different flavours of the crisps, which are part of Lincolnshire Co-op’s Love Local range.

Store Manager Gavin Willson said: “It’s been a fantastic feeling for the team to open the doors and welcome everyone inside the store. They've all trained ready for this moment and are really excited to now be providing valued services for the community.

“We’ve had some nice feedback about the range of goods here and lots of customers have gone home with a Pipers Crisps tasting box.”

Lincolnshire Co-op aims to grow the local economy by using contractors from the area. Lincolnshire-based firm Maher Millard Construction Ltd built this food store.

The store is open every day from 7am to 10pm.