TopicUk Business Magazine

Co-op removes majority of restrictions on products on sale in its stores

The Editor -

Central England Co-op has relaxed the majority of restrictions on products in its stores.

The retailer, which has over 240 stores across 16 counties, has revealed that thanks to the hard work of its colleagues and suppliers as well as customers and members only buying what they need nearly all products will no longer be restricted to a maximum of two per customer.

However, some items continue to be restricted for the time being. These are:

  • Baby milk
  • Hand wash
  • Household cleaning products
  • Tinned vegetables, fish and meat
  • Pasta
  • Flour
  • Eggs

Certain stores may also put in place further restrictions if they see stock levels falling and demand rising.

Customers and members are now being asked to support their communities by, when shopping for food and essentials, to continue to only buy what they need to ensure there is enough for everyone.

Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op Chief Executive, (pictured) said: “Thanks to the work of our colleagues and suppliers and support from our communities, we are pleased to be able to lift the majority of restrictions we have in place on products in our stores.

“We hope this will allow customers and members to fulfill their shopping needs, which may include multiple shops for others, in as few visits as possible, while maintaining availability for everyone.

“If our communities only buy what they need then there will be enough for all and restrictions will not have to return – by co-operating we can get through this uncertain time together.”

This comes alongside a range of measures put in place to support communities shopping at Central England Co-op stores. These have included:

  • Implementing social distancing requirements across its entire family of businesses to keep colleagues and customers safe
  • Employing an extra 150 security guards in stores and its distribution network, giving almost 2,000 extra hours of support to keep people safe and ensure security measures are adhered to
  • Recruiting over 1,000 extra colleagues to help in stores, including support from across its other businesses in travel, floral and head office
  • Installing almost 1,000 kiosk and checkout screens
  • Implementing the new £45 contactless limit