Midcounties Co-op has welcomed over 185 new colleagues after completing the purchase of four Cotswolds-based Warner Budgens food stores.
The acquisitions of the stores, in Bidford-on-Avon, Broadway, Moreton-in-Marsh and Winchcombe, strengthens Midcounties’ presence in the Cotswolds.
Group CEO Phil Ponsonby said: “We’re delighted to welcome Warner’s Budgens colleagues to the Midcounties family. They have an excellent reputation for great customer service, product knowledge and will be a valuable addition to the society.
“The quality of these stores provides us with a fantastic base for ongoing investment in our Food store offering. They will also help strengthen our relationships with local producers, allowing us to continue to develop and grow our Best of our Counties range.”
Plans are under way for each of the stores to be converted to the Midcounties format. They will continue to trade as Budgens during the transition period.
Mr Ponsonby added: “We are extremely grateful to Guy Warner and the team at Warner Budgens for working with us to support a smooth transition for colleagues and customers alike. It will be business as usual in-store for the rest of this year, but we’re looking forward to rolling out our plans very soon.”
