Work finally starts on the new Co-Op store in Formby

Work has finally started today on the brand new Co-op store on Queens Road in Formby.

Planning permission was granted back in September last year to turn the former Freshfields Animal Rescue charity shop and former 'Kippax' sweet shop into a convenience store. The two shops will be combined together and an extension added to the rear.

The first floor will be changed from residential use to staff room and store room. A full facelift to the front of the building with sliding doors and a long awaited ATM machine.

Parking will include a disabled bay to the front.

Works are expected to continue through to September and if all goes to plan, the shop should open in October.

Just last week the Co-op had a rebrand as part of a major shift in the supermarket arena. "We’re proudly going back to ‘Being Co-op’: rediscovering for ourselves what made the Co-op different and special for people in the first place. So we’re changing our look to draw attention to the significant improvements we’re making to our Co-op membership, the very thing that makes us truly distinctive, must be at the heart of all we say and do".

"Our new look will be familiar to many of us as the ‘clover leaf’. We first used a version of it in 1968 and we’ve chosen this look because it links to a time when people understood how they could be co-owners of their Co-op and how a strong Co-op could help to create strong communities".

The Co-operative Group is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by more than eight million members. It is the UK’s fifth biggest food retailer operating across the country with almost 2,800 local, convenience and medium-sized stores.

Amongst its other wholly-owned businesses are the UK’s number one funeral services provider, a major general insurer and a developing legal services business.

The Group also has a minority shareholding in The Co-operative Bank and a joint-venture travel business with Thomas Cook.

As well as having clear financial and operational objectives, the Group, which operates 3,500 outlets and employs approaching 70,000 people, is a recognised leader for its social goals and community-led programmes.

Making major changes to its design and branding is an excellent step in the right direction.

Creating an engaging presence and a memorable brand will help it to make meaningful connections with consumers, and allow it to reiterate what it stands for and what it can offer.