Latest news with #Coop
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Jersey schoolboy wins ice cream flavour design competition
A schoolboy has won a competition to have his design for a new ice cream flavour produced and sold in 12, came up with a flavour called "Peachy Beachy" that is being made by Jersey Dairy and sold at Coop stores for a week.A portion of all sales will go to Les Amis, a charity supporting islanders with learning Fenlon, managing director of Jersey Dairy, said there were hundreds of entries. Mr Fenlon said: "We're excited to be going into production with this truly inventive flavour ice cream."As part of his prize, Will had a behind the scenes VIP tour of Jersey Dairy, and watched his very own ice cream flavour roll off the production line before being given a full case to take Findlay, managing director of Les Amis, said: "What a great competition this has been and although there could only be one winner, it has been amazing to see the community get behind the initiative to help us celebrate our Golden Anniversary."Congratulations to Will and I know all our team, and our residents, are looking forward to trying the new ice cream."
BBC News
21 hours ago
- BBC News
Man dies after collision with car at Lincolnshire supermarket
An 85-year-old man has died following a collision with a car at a supermarket car Wednesday, Lincolnshire Police said "a grey Vauxhall Corsa was in collision with two pedestrians" at the Co-op store in High Street, Wainfleet, at about 07:28 man was taken to hospital for treatment but died on Friday morning, police investigation is ongoing and specialist officers are supporting the man's family. The vehicle stopped at the scene and no arrests were made, the force to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Major supermarket chain at risk of closing 34 stores after ‘struggling financially' in major blow to shoppers
A POPULAR supermarket chain could be shuttering 34 stores after "struggling financially". Shoppers were devastated to hear a significant number of Co-op branches are at risk of closing. 1 There are also nine Co-op funeral homes that could be forced to pull the shutters down. The string of closures would hit Essex highstreets, if a merger is not approved imminently. A spokesperson from Chelmsford Star Co-op confirmed the news, as reported by Essex Live. Locations at risk would include stores in Braintree, Chelmsford, Basildon, Thurrock and Southend among other locations, as well as two travel agencies. The society also operates branches in George Yard Shopping Centre in Braintree and Moulsham Street in Chelmsford. Chelmsford Star Co-op said it is "struggling financially" and needs to merge with the larger Central Co-op society. They claimed their issues have been "exacerbated" by increases in National Insurance contributions and the living wage. It comes as the two Quadrant stores are set to shutter in October later this year, with bosses blaming "long-term and increasing financial loss". Neither site has fetched a profit since 2008. Plans or a merger should be decided at meetings on July 16 and August 5. However, one member of Chelmsford Star Co-op, feared a merger would still see smaller store closures in villages and housing estates. They said: "I believe that there are other options, including the disposal of department stores, the sale of the quadrant department stores building in Chelmsford and the use of that to reinvest in the business." Chelmsford Star Co-op said there are no confirmed plans in place. A spokesman said: "As with any business integration, there will be a period of transition where the combined Society will review how best to organise itself to meet the needs of its members and communities. "While no decisions have been made at this early stage, we can confirm there are no planned closures of Chelmsford Star food stores, funeral homes or travel agencies as part of the proposed transfer. "Some support functions may evolve over time to ensure the organisation is fit for purpose and sustainable long-term, but this would be done with care, transparency and engagement with colleagues, members and unions. Importantly, the focus of both Societies is to safeguard as many roles and services as possible." Meanwhile Chelmsford Star execs dubbed a potential merger an "incredibly exciting moment". Chief executives of Chelmsford Star and Central Co-ops, Barry Wood and Debbie Robinson, said: "This is an incredibly exciting moment for co-operation. During the UN International Year of Co-operatives, we have a shared vision to be a leading force in the co-operative movement, realising the transformative impact that co-operatives have on economies, communities and individuals. "In an increasingly competitive marketplace, we believe that by harnessing our shared values, we will build a stronger and more secure society. "We welcome the proposed transfer and invite members to support this important moment which will deliver a future that continues to put members, colleagues and communities at the heart of everything we do.' Tony Price and Elaine Dean, presidents of Chelmsford Star and Central Co-op, added: 'Central Co-op and Chelmsford Star Co-operative are committed to putting the interests of our members first and supporting the communities where we trade. "The transfer will ensure that all members continue to have an important voice as part of a stronger, more secure Society - ready to serve them for many more years to come. "Both Boards are supportive of this transfer of engagements and the exciting opportunities that it presents.' OTHER CO-OP NEWS This comes as Co-op is rolling out a major change to stores across the country. The supermarket giant is replacing paper product tags with electronic labels throughout its whole estate over the coming months. The retailer has already made the change in 340 branches but will roll out the tags more widely. The chain said 1,500 stores will have the labels by the end of the year and will be rolled out across all its nearly 2,400 by the end of 2026. We have asked Co-op if all labels will be replaced with electronic ones in stores and will update this story when we've heard back. The electronic labels are designed and created by VusionGroup, which also works with Asda. Steven Logue, Co-op's head of operations, said: 'With convenience at the heart of everything we do Co-op is committed to continually exploring innovative technology that can improve how we operate." Co-op said the new electronic labels will show allergen and nutritional information and products' country of origin, as well as deals and savings. And, Co-op was one of a number of retailers hit by a cyber attack recently which saw supermarket stock and customer data affected. However, by May 14, the supermarket chain confirmed it was in a "recovery phase" and ready to turn online orders back on. Customers had been complaining of shortages of fresh produce, ready meals, yoghurts and confectionery since the incident began at the end of April. The attack also pushed contactless card payments offline in nearly one in 10 stores, forcing customers to pay with cash or enter their PINs at the till. The retailer also confirmed customers' private details were stolen during the attack after its IT systems were compromised. Some customers' names, contact information and dates of birth were exposed, however passwords, credit card details and transaction information were not. How to save money on your supermarket shop THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop. You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced. If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time. Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket. Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too. This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines. Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect. For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too. Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Lioncroft Wholesale CEO: 'Technology drives us forward, but let's not forget the risks'
We all recognise the many, many ways technology enables us to innovate and scale. Virtually every UK business relies upon the latest technologies to keep the wheels of industry turning. Technology is how we manage our systems, process orders, handle data, support our people and communicate with the outside world. Technology is the very backbone of our business, leaving us woefully unprepared for if, and when, things go wrong. And go wrong they have, in recent weeks. It has been impossible to miss the news headlines screaming loud about cyber attacks which have wreaked havoc on UK household names such as M&S, the Co-op and Harrods, to name just three. M&S was first struck in April, and as we go to press in June, the business is still in recovery mode with a return to normal not expected until July. Their once-full shelves are now dotted with availability gaps – the ultimate nightmare for a retailer – while their previously booming online sales were brought to an abrupt halt as the company's systems were hacked and disabled. As if this weren't enough, M&S must also brace itself for class action data lawsuits after private data, including millions of customers' household information, telephone numbers and dates of birth, was leaked as a result of the attack. The impact financially is staggering. The losses to the British high street stalwart look set to be unprecedented – Bank of America Global Research predicted the losses to equate to £43m per week, and estimated to run to more than £400m in total – acting as a harsh wake-up call for every business to think more about the technology it relies upon. And this is without taking into consideration the reputational damage an incident like this can cause. The PR spin about technology – always on, always working – has made it a business essential. After all, technology never has an off day, it doesn't make mistakes. It doesn't get ill, tired or burnout. It doesn't get distracted from the task at hand by an unscheduled meeting or an unexpected phone call. It completes the task efficiently and accurately, and moves on to the next. Until it doesn't. So how can it go wrong? Stuart Machin, CEO of M&S, described the security breach as the result of 'social engineering' which came about from 'human error' via a 'third party' although this has yet to be confirmed by the company's internal investigation. In other words, we are the weakest link. We open emails, click on links, share passwords, leave laptops on trains… the list goes on. While it is people that operate the technology, there will always be risks, it is unavoidable. As M&S continue to repair, the smart businesses will now be using this incident as a learning exercise. Every business, regardless of size and sector, is a potential target, so what can we learn from this? Are we protected? How would we respond? These are the questions we must ask ourselves. The fact is, when it comes to cyber protection, the work is never done. A constant stream of new threats are defeated by even newer solutions, and protecting your business goes far beyond strong passwords and the latest virus protection. The experts all agree that businesses need multi-layers of protection to secure their systems, combined with insurance. Are you thinking ahead? We're told that M&S had carried out a cyber attack simulation the previous year and could tap into the learnings from this, responding quickly and effectively. Its business continuity plan kicked in, minimising further damage. Yes, cyber insurance is essential, but as many business owners have found, it is costly, complex and limited with what it will deliver. Explore the options carefully and with caution. While we focus on our systems, of course we must also focus on our people. It is our responsibility to equip staff with the knowledge they need to recognise threats and the tactics used by cyberhackers to ensure your business has a culture of security awareness. There is no doubt that technology is our friend, but let's never forget that it can quickly turn to work against us, as well as for us. Dr Jason Wouhra OBE is CEO of Lioncroft Wholesale, one of the UK's leading food and drink wholesalers. He is also Chancellor of Aston University and Chair of Unitas Wholesale, the UK's largest wholesale buying group.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Two men seriously injured by car at Lincolnshire supermarket
Two people have been seriously injured by a car in a Lincolnshire supermarket car Police said "a grey Vauxhall Corsa was in collision with two pedestrians" at the Co-op store in High Street, Wainfleet at around 07:28 BST on Wednesday.A man in his 80s has suffered life-threatening injuries and a man in his 70s suffered serious vehicle stopped at the scene and no arrests have been made, the force added. Investigators have appealed for witnesses and any dashcam to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
