Bosses speak out on future of Sheffield Co-op store

Central England Co-operative, which is independent of The Co-operative Group, says it currently has no plans to close its Food Store and Petrol Filling Station on Birley Moor Road, Frecheville.

Instead, the company acted to reassure customers in Sheffield and the wider region by announcing plans to build a new store in Doncaster later this year.

The move comes after the company revealed it would close its Chesterfield store, on Elder Way, due to a ‘decline in sales’ and expected losses in the future as indicted in a recent review of the store's trading performance.

A Central England Co-operative spokesperson said: “We can confirm that there are currently no plans to close our Food Store and Petrol Filling Station in Birley Moor Road, Sheffield.

“The society is committed to Sheffield and the wider Yorkshire area and is planning several new stores and refurbishments to ensure our customers continue to be served as part of an ambitious growth strategy throughout 2020 and beyond.

“The first of these new sites will be in Barnby Dun in Doncaster, which is expected to open later this year bringing new jobs and millions of pounds worth of investment to the local area.”

Central England Co-operative trades through various food stores, funeral homes, filling stations, post offices, travel branches, florists, masonry outlets, a crematorium and a coffin factory, across 16 counties including Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.

The company said the move to close its Elder Way store came with ‘deep regret’ but is necessary to ‘protect the long-term future and growth of Central England Co-op as a whole'.

“This in no way reflects upon the excellent work of the colleagues at Elder Way store and we would like to thank them for their commitment and dedication,” a spokesperson said.

“The society is now in consultation with colleagues affected by the closure. Where possible we aim to offer colleagues opportunities to be redeployed into other business areas.”

A date for the proposed closure has not yet been confirmed.