New focus for CI Co-op

Tuesday 18 September 2018

The Channel Islands Co-operative is focusing on what it believes customers want with a new Locale store opening in Guernsey, before the Homemaker site shuts for good.

The Co-op confirmed it is closing the Lowlands store next March, "due to challenging business conditions" with 17 staff likely to all be redeployed within the company.

Chief Operating Officer Mark Cox said some of the 15 staff based in Guernsey, and their two colleagues based in the support office in Jersey, may choose to move on to other career opportunities or take retirement, but the company hoped to offer them all new roles.

Pictured: The Co-op website has a number of offers under the 'Home' banner but the Homemaker store itself will close next year 

They may be offered jobs in the new Locale store which is due to open on the Bridge in November. Work on that site has been continuing throughout this year and is all running to schedule.

Mr Cox said, "people are looking for convenience," which is why the Co-op is opening a smaller store so close to its Grande Marché on Nocq Road. He said that store is actually too busy with people popping in to buy fewer and smaller items as well as doing their weekly shop, so they want to make life easier for customers wanting both options.

He said there is no risk to the future of the Nocq Road Grandes Marché with the smaller Locale store opening just a few feet away.

"The Nocq Road store is extremely busy, too busy in fact sometimes - it overtrades for a shop of its size, so we want to offer people convenience for when they just want to pop in to get a few bits. That will ease pressure on the Nocq Road store.

The Locale store will focus on food to go and convenience items, while Nocq Road will be more focused on people doing their weekly shop."

Pictured: The Nocq Road store in St Sampson 

The Co-op also said that to compensate for the closure of Homemaker Guernsey, the Society will look to "enhance the non-food offer in Grand Marché St Martin and St Sampson."

Chief Executive, Colin McLeod said, "this will however be a limited offering (small electrical items, kitchen accessories, seasonal lines and one off promotional products) and will rely on what range is available through the Co-op Group in Manchester. This will protect some of the ranges and enhance the member offer by applying bonus dividend to those products on a Tuesday and Wednesday."

It's been confirmed the Homemaker store will close in March 2019 with all outstanding customer orders and commitments to be honoured. Customers with gift vouchers are asked to speak to the Homemaker team or the Customer Relations Department, but "should be reassured all vouchers will be fulfilled."

It is anticipated that the Homemaker site will be leased to a third party and the site considered for redevelopment in the longer term. 

Mr Cox told Express that there had been no progress on that yet, as the site had not been marketed as available ahead of staff being told to ensure they were the first to know. Now the store's closure has been announced publicly and all staff have been informed, work will begin to find a new tenant for the site, which is owned by the Channel Islands Co-op.

Mr Cox also said the Co-op's plans for the Bridge in a wider sense are also being reconsidered as the plans for Leales Yard have collapsed with little interest from developers in working with the company to develop housing and retail opportunities there.

He said there is some work to do to develop those plans.