British co-operative group Co-op is set to open 11 stores across the UK - the largest number of sites it has launched in a single week. 

The openings are part of a wider push to add 50 outlets in November and December 2025 ahead of the Christmas trading period. 

The latest round of openings feeds into the mutual’s ongoing programme to invest in more than 200 new and revamped stores over 2024/25.  

The new sites comprise a mixture of newly built units, franchise-operated branches and re-opened stores that have undergone refurbishment. 

Among the new additions is Co-op’s first permanent retail unit at the Brent Cross Town development in London, alongside a franchise store in Frampton Cotterell near Bristol and upgraded outlets stretching from Somerset to Inverness.  

Further sites to come include Bassett Green Road in Southampton

The openings follow recent launches in Blaenavon, Oxenhope in West Yorkshire and Penkhull in Staffordshire, as the group steps up its convenience presence in both urban and rural areas. 

Co-op's store rollout is taking place while it continues to press the UK government for long-discussed reforms to the business rates system.  

The retailer argues that delivering a fair regime is essential to give small and independent retailers the confidence to commit to long-term investment, enabling them to plan ahead and safeguard local employment. 

Co-op operations director Kate McCrae stated: “We are focused on creating local stores which are more than just a shop – they are a hub locally that contribute to local life and meet the needs of communities, conveniently.  

“We’re investing in stores and communities right across the UK because we believe in the future of the high street – creating local jobs and backing British farmers and suppliers.” 

Co-op, which has more than seven million members, operates across food retail, funerals, insurance and legal services.