Central Co-op

We are thrilled to announce that Central Co-op has been shortlisted in two prestigious categories at the Retail Week Awards 2025: 🛒 Best New Store Award – Small/Medium for our innovative Stanton store in Bury St. Edmunds: Our Stanton store is more than a place to shop - it’s a testament to our commitment to innovation, sustainability and community. This store was designed to be energy self-sufficient with solar panels, LED lighting, and advanced refrigeration and air conditioning systems, earning an impressive A+ Energy Performance Certificate rating of -3, making it carbon negative! 🤝 The American Express Inclusion & Diversity Heroes Award for the outstanding work of our Inclusion Delivery Group (IDG). While our IDG has now evolved into other forms of support within the Society, its work has been instrumental in shaping our equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) journey. Establishing our five inclusion networks, driving policy, increasing EDI data disclosure rates and enabling better, more inclusive workforce support. Our Stanton store and the IDG are prime examples of what makes Central Co-op special: our people, partnerships and purpose. We’re immensely proud of these achievements and look forward to the Retail Week Awards in March, where the winners will be crowned. Thank you to our colleagues, Members and partners for making this possible. Together, we’re shaping a brighter, greener, more inclusive future! Read more about these initiatives at: https://lnkd.in/erKKTZ4d #RWAwards25 #BestNewStore #EDI #SustainableRetail

It's the last day of COP29, and this week we've been embracing the theme of "investing in a liveable planet for all" by sharing some of the positive actions and investments we’re taking to create a sustainable Society for all. ⚡ This year we reached a significant milestone by achieving Net-Zero for energy consumption in four of our stores - two of which even surpassing this achievement by earning carbon negative accreditation. This achievement not only demonstrates our commitment to environmental responsibility but also sets a high standard for the industry. Its great to see our amazing teams getting recognised for their work and the strides we're taking towards a more sustainable future. 🏆 In March 2024, we won the Convenience Awards category for Sustainability Retailer of the Year due to our outstanding commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability. 🏆 We were a finalist in the Grocer Gold Awards for Sustainability Initiative of the Year –recognised for our ongoing commitment to green energy self-sufficiency and pioneering solar photovoltaic rollout across our estate. 🏆 We were also pleased to win the 2024 Retail Industry Awards for Most Sustainable Retailer of the Year for our green energy self-sufficiency initiative which enables us to embrace renewable energy, reduce environmental impact and enhance our operational efficiency. #NetZero #CarbonNegative #EnvironmentalImpact

The focus for this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) is "investing in a liveable planet for all". At Central Co-op, we're always looking at how we can better our operations in order to reduce our environmental impact. This year we launched a new electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme with Octopus Electric Vehicles. The new EVs are available to Central Co-op company car drivers and car allowance recipients as a much-welcomed benefit. Eligible colleagues can benefit from the scheme through a salary sacrifice on their gross pay, saving up to 40% on monthly costs! We also launched 3 industry-first environmental operations in collaboration with our Goods Not For Resale supplier, Lyreco UK and Ireland. ⛽ Pro Earth UK: A sustainable solution for fuel spills at petrol forecourts. Unlike sand, PRO-Earth is reusable, non-leaching, and allows immediate cleanup. 🧼 BioHygiene: Natural ingredient-based cleaners that outperform chemical alternatives and come in 100% recycled plastic packaging, cutting packaging carbon footprint by up to 85%. 💐 SANI-99: A non-toxic, biodegradable disinfectant replacing bleach in florist water, extending flower freshness while protecting the environment. #SustainablePractices #ElectricVehicle #Sustainability #SustainableGoods

As the 29th international convention on climate change (COP29) is underway, this week we're sharing just some of the positive actions and investments we’re taking to create a sustainable Society for all. 🌳 We launched a partnership with Co-operative Climate Action to extend our commitment to sustainability. For every funeral conducted, we will plant a tree in Malawi – that's 20,000 per year on average. Over their lifetime, these trees will remove approximately 6,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere as well as playing a crucial role in reducing the impact of severe flooding, which has become a frequent and devastating issue for smallholder farmers and communities. 🍽 We also continue to tackle food waste and promote sustainability with our food redistribution partner, Olio • Share More, Waste Less. An incredible one million items of surplus food have been rescued from going to waste since the partnership began in September 2023, marking a significant milestone in the fight against food waste and food poverty. The one million items saved through the partnership have gone on to feed 13,000 families in communities near our stores. #COP29 #ClimateAction #TreePlanting #Reforestation #FoodWaste #FoodPoverty

International Men’s Day aims to raise awareness around men’s wellbeing, highlight the positive male role models around us, and celebrate the positive value that men bring. To mark the day, we’re hosting our annual Men’s Voices event at our Support Centre. The day is filled with powerful discussions, inspiring speakers, and networking opportunities - all in aid of celebrating and amplifying the voices of men from all walks of life. With opportunities to talk, listen and learn, we’re hosting workshops on men’s health & wellbeing, male suicide, work life balance and more, and are joined by our charity partner, Samaritans, as well as speakers Malcolm Clarke and Neil Baldwin - authors of the inspiring book 'Marvellous'. 📢 💚 For many men, it can be tricky to know how to start a conversation about mental wellbeing, so to help usualise this, we wanted to share a couple of helpful tips and tricks… #InternationalMensDay #MensVoices #MensWellbeing

The 29th international convention on climate change (COP29) is currently underway in Baku, Azerbaijan. With the focus of "investing in a liveable planet for all", join us this week as we share some of the positive actions and investments we’re taking to create a sustainable Society for all. As a Society we’re on a journey to green energy self-sufficiency, with a little help from solar power! ☀ Since our first installation in 2022, we’ve invested £6.03 million in solar, installing SOLPV on 115 sites. This has generated 6.35 million kWh, saving the society £1.58 million in annual energy costs. And we're not done yet! We have a remaining 76 stores to complete before the end of 2025 and aim to add Solar PV to our funeral sites too! #COP29 #InvestingInALiveablePlanetForAll #Sustainability #Solar

📢 Our Data and Analytics Team are seeking an experienced Data Analyst to collaborate closely with HR Leaders, focusing on people data, workforce planning, and insights. If you are are: 🌟 Proficient in presenting and simplifying data analysis for diverse audiences 🌟 A confident communicator who has strong stakeholder management skills 🌟 Experienced with an extensive background in SQL 🌟 Skilled in providing insights using Excel, Power BI, Python, R, and other data visualization tools… We would love to hear from you!! 📧 To find out more and to apply, please click the link below https://lnkd.in/egt57m_X #dataanalyst #shapethefuture #insights #peopledata #workforceplanning #sql #differencemakers

🌈 This Transgender Awareness Week, we're committed to raising visibility for transgender and non-binary people, and standing up for their rights in the workplace and beyond. 🌈 As trans visibility rises, so does the need for supportive spaces. We’re committed to fostering a workplace where everyone feels respected and empowered, and we’re here to listen, help, and take action. To help, we offer: 🏳️⚧️ Trans and Non-Binary Inclusion Policy – guiding support at every step 🏳️⚧️ Wellbeing Champions – for initial support and referrals 🏳️⚧️ Colleague Assistance Programme – a confidential 24/7 helpline 🏳️⚧️ Aviva DigiCare+ Workplace – for mental health consultations This week, our Pride network launched a Transgender Awareness Guide and Gender Awareness eLearning modules to help us all be better allies. Together, let’s make Central Co-op an inclusive community for all. 💚 🏳️⚧️ #TransgenderAwarenessWeek #Pride #TransVisability

The season of goodwill is nearly upon us and so is our much-loved Christmas Toy Appeal! 🎁 Until the 6th of December, 50 of our selected stores will be opening their doors for donations, gathering brand new toys, games and gifts that will bring a smile to children’s faces on Christmas morning. 🚛 ✨ This year, we're taking our festive spirit on the road with the Toy Appeal van, stopping at selected stores where locals are invited to stop by and sample our festive goodies, get a head start on some Christmas spirit, and of course, to donate an unused toy or game for a child who would otherwise go without. The 2024 Toy Appeal kicked off yesterday in Birmingham, with a visit to our Northfield and Great Barr stores. 📍 Next stop, Tamworth and Houlton! Make sure you find out when the Toy Appeal van is coming to your local Central Co-op shop at https://lnkd.in/eqA3Y6pa. #ToyAppeal #GoodwillToAll #Donate

Always remembered, never forgotten💚 As a mark of respect and to honour the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces, please join us for a two-minute silence for Armistice Day at 11am. #ArmisticeDay #WeWillRememberThem #RemembranceDay