Lincolnshire Co-op has announced plans to rapidly expand its food business and is asking the public to help find suitable sites.
Those who make successful suggestions will receive £5,000 upon the store’s opening.
The retailer hopes to open around 30 new convenience shops over the next three years, increasing its number of food stores by approximately a third.
Following a £1.8m investment, Laceby Food Store, near Grimsby, opened in late June and is the first of many new outlets to come. Scartho Food Store, also near Grimsby, will be the next shop to open, with an opening date planned for Thursday 31 October.
Further south, £2.5m is being invested into transforming a former tractor repair site on March Road in Coates, which is near Peterborough, into a Lincolnshire Co-op food store. Work began last week.
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Over £10m has already been committed into developing the next five Lincolnshire Co-op food stores. The co-op is open to building new stores, renovating existing buildings, taking on freehold and leasehold sites, and business acquisitions. It has already expressed interest in sites within Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, and North Norfolk.
Steve Leach, the society’s chief operating officer, said: “We have an ambition to be the UK’s fastest growing co-operative, and we’re keen to deliver even more valued services.
“We’re driven by our purpose, which is to make life better in our communities. Having a presence in more communities means we’re able to make even more of an impact.”
