East of England Co-op plans new food store for Ipswich

The East of England Co-op wants to create a new store at 345 Woodbridge Road on the site of a former Renault dealership, and open it in spring of 2025.

It will replace the retailer's current store in Brunswick Road, with all workers relocating to the new site.

The current store is owned by the East of England Co-op, which will be "exploring opportunities" for the site.

Doug Field, chief executive of the East of England Co-op (Image: Doug Field/East of England Co-op)

The new Woodbridge Road store will be a larger, more modern store and will host a wider range of products and services, as well as providing on-site parking, said the chain.

It will also feature more environmentally-friendly refrigeration and solar panels and electric vehicle charging points, as part of the retailer's bid to become more environmentally-friendly.

Chief executive Doug Field said: “We’re excited to announce plans to open a new store on Woodbridge Road, Ipswich.

"This new location allows us to provide an even better shopping experience for our customers, with a larger, more modern space and the convenience of on-site parking, while relocating all our fantastic colleagues from our nearby Brunswick Road store.

“We’re confident that this new facility will offer enhanced services and a fresh environment for the community to enjoy. We look forward to welcoming all our customers to the new store.”

The store will be the fifth new food store announced by the East of England Co-op this year, and is part of "ambitious" plans to reshape its retail portfolio, it said.

Woodbridge Road will follow the opening of Bishop’s Stortford -the retailer’s first store in Hertfordshire. Other upcoming stores include Ipswich railway station, Kingsfleet in Thetford, and another relocation in East Bergholt.

The retailer - which is embarked on a turnaround plan following recent losses - has begun a refurbishment programme of current stores worth £5million.