British co-operative retailer Co-op plans to open or reopen 18 stores across the UK during the first quarter of 2026.
The first opening of the year is scheduled for Willowbrook Park, a new residential development in Didcot, Oxfordshire.
The wider programme stretches from Sussex to Stirling and is part of the group’s continued spending on high-street and neighbourhood convenience retail.
Early reopenings following major refurbishment include a store in Eastern Green, Coventry, and a franchise-run outlet in Ealing, London.
Co-op said the new and upgraded locations are designed to function as community hubs, with coffee and bakery offers, Fairtrade goods, fresh produce and services such as bill payments, parcel drop-off and collection, and locally fulfilled online grocery deliveries.
Co-op operations director Kate McCrae said: “We are focused on creating local stores which are more than just a shop - they are a hub locally that contributes to local life and conveniently meets the needs of communities.
“I’m delighted to see our first new store of 2026 open in Oxfordshire, as we start 2026 with an active store opening programme to increase and enhance Co-op’s presence in high streets and communities all across the UK.”
In January, the retailer also introduced its Served “Taste of Asia” range - a main and two sides for two - alongside own-brand GLP-1-friendly meals within its “Good Fuel” health line.
Soft-plastic recycling points will be installed, allowing customers to return items such as crisp packets, bread bags, ready-meal lids, biscuit wrappers and pet-food pouches.
The company said the first-quarter programme includes both brand-new developments and refurbished branches resuming trade.
Separately, Co-op pledged £70m ($91.7m) last November to fund 7,000 apprenticeships by 2030 through its Levy Share service, citing a 31% drop in apprenticeship starts since the levy’s introduction in 2017.
Since launching the scheme in 2021, the retailer has already directed £40m into training, supporting more than 3,800 matched apprenticeships.
