A £1.8m Lincolnshire Co-op food store has opened its doors for the first time, creating 13 new jobs locally.
The store opened its new Caistor Road in Laceby, yesterday morning.
Inside, the shop offers a range of goods and services, from daily essentials such as freshly baked bread, chilled meal options, groceries, and fruit and veg, to environmental features such as a soft plastic recycling bin and a water bottle refill station.
Local businesses are supported through the co-operative’s Love Local range, and items from producers such as Alfred Enderby, a fish smoker based in Grimsby, can be found in store.
The store marks the start of the society’s ambitious growth plan, which aims to increase the number of Lincolnshire Co-op food stores by approximately a third over the next three years.
The development of the site also creates a new business opportunity; an adjacent pub unit has been refurbished and is currently being marketed by PPH Commercial.
Lincolnshire Co-op members get access to exclusive offers and events, they can collect dividend across all business areas, and a donation is made to support local groups through the society’s Community Champions scheme when they shop with their dividend card.
Local groups are already benefiting from this community scheme; Laceby in Bloom received £612.47 earlier this year, and since March 2024, fundraising has been underway for local breakfast clubs, with the club at Stanford Junior & Infant School set to be one of the beneficiaries.
Food Store Manager, Stacie Coutts, said: “We’ve been busy so far – lots of customers have popped in to see how the space has been transformed. They’ve been impressed by all of the local produce on offer and have enjoyed learning about the community work that we do.
“We have also had children from the local school visit the store, they were able to take a look around and meet Cooper, our bear mascot, which they absolutely loved!”
