Exciting day as we celebrate OurCoop’s first new sites!

Thursday 12^th February marked an exciting moment for OurCoop as we launched our first new community stores as a newly formed Society, One in Desford, Leicester, and the other in Wavendon, Milton Keynes. We also celebrated a new Co-op Travel branch in Cheltenham.

We invited a community of guests to help us celebrate, including Glebe Farm School in Milton Keynes and Desford Primary School in Leicester, local food banks and key suppliers!  But our guests of honour were our members, the first 50 arriving at each store receiving the opportunity to win a £1000 Travel Coop voucher through our Golden Ticket prize draw!  

For OurCoop members who couldn’t join us on the day, we’re also running a competition to win a Paris City Break for two, worth £2000. Until the 28th of February 2026, every time OurCoop members spend £30 or more in our stores and scan their membership card, they will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win one of two Paris city break prizes!

Over in Wavendon, our store was officially opened by local schoolchildren from Glebe Farm School who cut the ribbon and enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour, putting young people and community firmly at the heart of the launch.

The store has been designed with sustainability, convenience and community in mind with solar panels installed across the site to help reduce energy use, while bird and bat boxes have been added to support local wildlife. Outside, our customers will find a community seating area, creating a welcoming space to relax.

We also had support on the day from Zest, one of the UK’s fastest growing electric vehicle (EV) charge point operators, who provided rapid electric vehicle charging spaces in our carpark for our electric car driving shoppers to use.

Other customer facilities at Wavendon include InPost lockers, Cycle repair station, Costa Coffee, Cook food range, customer toilet and baby changing facilities, free water refill station, defibrillator, Free Wi-Fi access.

 Simon Smith, Head of Commercial and Format Development at OurCoop, said: “Opening our first new stores as a newly formed society is a hugely important moment for OurCoop, and we’re proud that Wavendon and Desford are part of that story.”

These stores reflect what OurCoop is about - supporting communities, working with local partners and caring for the people and places we serve.

Desford was an equally exciting time for all involved and brought to life an historic Desford building. As part of a conservation area it was essential that we celebrated the village’s heritage and character so the store has been carefully designed to respect and complement its historic surroundings.

Part of the building incorporates an original timber-framed structure estimated to be around 350 years old, bringing a unique piece of local history into everyday community use.

OurCoop worked in partnership with University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) to carry out a full historical building recording and a feature panel inside the store allows customers to see a section of the original timber frame to learn more.

Outside, there’s a cycle repair station funded by local community group Desford in Bloom, highlighting the role local partnerships have played in shaping the store.

Both OurCoop stores feature a carefully curated food range, including GSN, a market-leading health food brand specialising in high-protein, whole-food products.

Alongside this, customers can shop the popular COOK range, made with fresh ingredients for a homemade taste, offering high-quality, convenient options for individuals and families. Both stores also feature solar panels to help reduce energy use, while bird and bat boxes have been added to support local wildlife.

Over in Cheltenham, colleagues marked the launch of a new strategic partnership between Co-op Travel and retailer TGJones, offering customers another way to plan and book holidays as part of their everyday shopping experience.

The branch was officially opened by long-standing customers, Mr and Mrs Matthew, who have been booking trips with Co-op Travel for over 15 years!

Sara Dunham, Chief Officer Specialist Businesses at OurCoop, said: “This opening marks an important milestone for Co-op Travel, both as our first partnership with TGJones and as a continuation of how we’re evolving our high-street presence, as part of the wider OurCoop family.”

It was heartwarming to see our first new OurCoop stores and co-op travel branch so well supported on the day. It shows that when we continue to place community at the heart of all we do, the results are wonderful! 

We look forward to sharing more from OurCoop as we invest more in the future.  This is just the beginning.