The Heart of England Co-operative Society, the largest independent retailer in Coventry, Warwickshire, south Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, has reported significant increases in sales over the festive period.
Year-on-year figures show the society’s non-food sales topped £3.5m during the seven week period – up almost 14% over the year.
Food sales during the same period topped £8.2m, compared with £7.8m last year – an increase of almost 5%.
Among the society’s 55 branches showing the largest increases were the two recently refurbished and re-branded food stores in Southam and Earlsdon. During the week of 21 December, the Southam Co-operative achieved a 37% sales rise over the same period last year. Also that week the Earlsdon Co-operative achieved a 21% year-on-year increase.
Ali Kurji, chief executive of the Heart of England Co-operative Society, said: “We are delighted to report an increase in year-on-year sales over the festive period. It is no secret that the retail industry has suffered a huge loss in the past two years and this country has lost a number of its most established traders along the way.
“Here at the Heart of England Co-operative Society, we endeavour to offer every single one of our customers the fairest deal. Our customers know we are a retailer they can trust and it is this ethos, adopted by our forefathers who founded the Co-operative movement in the 19th Century, that has helped steer us through some of the toughest trading conditions of our lifetime.”
The New Year cold snap also saw year-on-year sales rise 18% across the region during the week commencing 4 January.
Peter Fletcher, general manager of the society’s food division, said the majority of custom had come from the Society’s village stores as people looked to their local shop for food, rather than venturing out into town centres.
He said: “Normally we would record rises of about 5%. To see a rise of 18% is astonishing. It is definitely down to the weather.”
