Cynon Valley

Supermarke­t expanding number of stores and jobs

- SION BARRY sion.barry@walesonlin­e.co.uk

A LOCAL Co-op store is set for refurbishm­ent as the chain confirmed it is creating 250 new jobs in Wales across its expanding store network.

Its latest investment saw a 10,500sq ft store in Llandovery relaunched last week following a £1m makeover. This summer will also see major investment in Ammanford, Pontycymme­r, Wrexham and Llandudno Junction.

There will also be refurbishm­ents and new developmen­ts planned later this year in Hirwaun, Llangollen, Machen and Denbigh. Co-op currently employs 3,000 staff at 170 food stores in Wales. The new jobs will be filled by year end.

It also comes at it has seen a 40% rise in members in Wales since the relaunch of its membership scheme nearly two years ago.

During the same period, the retailer has supported 749 local good causes, with a total value of £1.2m, through its membership scheme.

It now has more than 300,000 members in Wales who receive a 5% reward every time they swipe their card when purchasing own-brand products, with the Co-op donating a further 1% to causes in their local communitie­s.

Tina Mitchell, Co-op Food’s managing director for Wales, said: “The Co-op is committed to investing in Welsh communitie­s, where we have a proud past and an exciting future.

“The Co-op has reconnecte­d with its roots, sharing value with our members and customers, who tell us that provenance, trust and fairness is important to them.

“Our approach is for stores to be at the heart of local life and our ongoing investment programme is designed to ensure an agile, efficient, innovative and sustainabl­e Co-op, fit for future generation­s.”

 ?? GOOGLE ?? The Co-Op store in Llandovery
GOOGLE The Co-Op store in Llandovery

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