Co-op to open after £120k revamp

A town centre supermarket will be unveiled tomorrow after a £120,000 revamp.

The Co-operative group bought the Somerfield chain and will open its newly refurbished Stourbridge High Street store on Thursday. It has been shut to customers this week as work is carried out.

The shop will feature a new layout and new shelving units and has been rebranded to feature the Co-op name.

Store manager Dave Hughes said: "We are proud to serve the local community and this investment in the store means we can now provide a much enhanced service. Customers are welcoming the changes."

He added that the store would concentrate more on fresh foods than its predecessor and would also have a new bakery.

All 33 staff at the shop will keep their jobs under the shop's new owners.

Bosses hope the rebranding will continue the trend seen across England, where profits have risen at the newly converted stores.

The firm posted record grocery sales following the takeover last year, with profits rising 20 per cent to £473 million over 2009.

The £1.6bn takeover, which sees the Co-op taking on more than 650 Somerfield stores, has created a chain of around 3,000 shops.

The takeover means that Co-op has an eight per cent share in the grocery market.

After it bought the Somerfield chain in March 2009, the Co-op became the fifth largest food retailer in the UK. It has an annual turnover of £14 billion, employs 123,000 staff and operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets handling more than 20 million weekly transactions.

The firm also runs The Co-operative Bank, The Co-operative Insurance and Britannia, as well as funeral services, pharmacies and travel agencies.

Charity cash has also been raised by The Co-op's share of profits dividend scheme, which offers shareholders money back on their trade with the group's businesses.

Members can choose to keep the cash or donate all or part of their share to local good causes. Last year, the firm paid out £41 million to members and over £1 million to community groups across the country.