Sales up 6.4pc for Central England Co-op

The Lichfield-based co-operative society has seen its food business booming during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The increase in sales helped to generate a trading profit of £19.3 million for the half year, up from £11.4m a year before.

Major investment has also been made to support staff, members, customers and communities and keep them safe including securing over three million items of PPE, hiring 850 temporary staff, launching a community hub scheme to support more than 2,000 vulnerable people and revamping its Community Dividend Fund to provide urgent financial support.

Frontline colleagues were rewarded for going above and beyond with an extra week’s pay and enhanced discount.

Despite the uncertain times, the retailer launched two new stores and revamped three others and trailed new projects such as self-scan checkouts and community cafes, with its major investment programme continuing into 2021.

The society operates more than 400 food, funeral and floral sites across 16 counties and chief executive Debbie Robinson thanked staff for what she described as "their heroic efforts" during the coronavrius crisis.

“Safety has always been our top priority, and we have invested in a number of measures to ensure we have been able to provide a secure environment for our colleagues, members and customers," she said.

She said the financial performance had been an incredibly strong and had been driven significantly by the food business.

“While there are significant challenges ahead, we are in a very strong position, with a solid balance sheet and talented people to build a sustainable society for all," she added.