Co-op to open 100 stores

The Co-operative Group is planning to open 100 new shops with an investment of £70m. The new convenience stores will be throughout the UK, including London, the South East, Yorkshire and Scotland. Five Co-op stores will be opened in the capital before the end of March. Stuart Hookins, property portfolio and development director at the Co-op, said: “Whilst other retailers are scaling back their expansion plans, the Co-op continues to open new convenience stores. “We opened 100 stores in 2016, and we plan to open hundreds more new stores over the next few years.” The Co-op’s expansion plans are expected to create 1,500 new jobs.