🛒 Co-op Edgeley refurbishment - Finally!

🛒 Co-op Edgeley refurbishment - Finally!

Some exciting changes are coming to Co-op Edgeley, with the store set to undergo a long-overdue refurbishment.

Cllr Wynne and Ward colleagues past and present have been calling for investment from Cooperative Foodstores in this important Edgeley District Centre anchor tenant going back to 2020, so it is good to finally see this moving forward.

The current notice confirms that the store will close from Sunday 11 October to Thursday 15 October, with a temporary pop-up shop opening from Friday 16 October so residents can still get their essentials.

There will then be a further closure from Sunday 6 December to Thursday 10 December, before the brand-new refurbished store opens on Friday 11 December.

We appreciate there are some concerns locally about the store being slimmed down. Those concerns are fair and we understand why residents want to see a good range of products available.

At the ECA, we don't pretend to be retail experts, but we can see some of the challenges the existing store has faced. Co-op cannot compete with the likes of Home Bargains and the major supermarkets on price for certain products, while the current store has also struggled at times to keep shelves filled with a decent variety of stock. The Co-ops model seems to be moving towards convenience rather than variety which is why the store is being slimmed out. Heron Foods adjacent is mooted to move in and regular shoppers will agree that that shop is far too small for the products they provide. You could not swing a cat in the aisles.

And now we need to see the Post Office across the way fit out its premises for purpose too.

With our anchor tenants starting to move forward, we're finally seeing progress on the wider Edgeley District Centre. That's something worth welcoming — while continuing to push for the improvements residents expect.

A better Co-op for it's staff and patrons, a fit-for-purpose Post Office and a stronger District Centre. That's t