Communities working together & Platinum Jubilee celebrations
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Published 27 May 2022 in Phil's blog
Revamped Co-op Brand range – Co-op Group visit
On Wednesday I was in Manchester at the Co-op Group’s headquarters for the Federal Board meeting. Whilst on-site, I was fortunate to visit the ‘Foodology’ kitchens to sample some of the fantastic new products being developed as part of the fresh Co-op brand range. As the group overhauls their Food-to-go ranges with new products and reduced packaging, it was great to see first-hand how they research, develop and test the new products. Improving sustainability, the packaging on the range has now been reduced to remove single-use plastic cutlery in favour of wooden sporks, which will ultimately reduce waste in-store by over 270 tonnes.
They also have Fairtrade only meals with produce directly from Kenya, a UK industry first, which will support producers to earn fairer pay and protect the environment. With many brilliant new products about to hit the shelves this week, my favourite was the ‘Bang Bang’ chicken and noodles – highly recommended!
See below - Visiting the ‘Foodology’ kitchen in Co-op Group, Manchester
Communities working together
Many of our sites and branches form an important cog across our trading area communities, so it was brilliant to hear this week how Divinity Road Food store became part of the Artsweek Exhibition in Oxford. Martin Stott’s photography project gave a real insight into how a community operates and the type of members and customers that live in the vicinity of our trading sites. They really do become part of everyday life and help add to the diversity within the community. I thank Farooq Tariq, Store Manager and all the colleagues at Divinity Road for taking part in this great community initiative. I look forward to visiting very soon to glance at all the photos displayed on the exterior of the store.To read more click here.
Staying on the topic of community, yesterday I got the chance to get involved in the member community litter picks in Leamington and join our Environmental Ambassador Cal Major as well as our members and colleagues. We helped collect over 20kg of litter while slowly canoeing down the River Leam accumulating the usual single-use plastics and general rubbish. It was a good experience where we learned about the local environment thanks to Peter from Royal Leamington Canoe Club as well as using their canoes. There were many unusual items including coconuts and a skateboard, but we did manage to retrieve a stolen purse which will be returned back to the individual. Watch the video update below.
Looking ahead to the Platinum Jubilee celebrations
To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, our local community grant funds in May were adjusted to offer our members the opportunity to apply for up to £150 of funding towards to local community led celebrations.
I am glad to announce the fund received over 120 applications and we have now distributed over £18,500 in Your Co-op Vouchers. These vouchers will enable groups to provide refreshments for localised activities such as cultural events, street parties, picnics and community celebrations in support of the nationwide Jubilee celebrations next week.
It’s great to be able to support so many of our local communities, members and colleagues and wish them a fantastic weekend of community celebration!
On the topic of the Jubilee, we will also be offering colleagues an extra day of pay day discount running from 2-5 June, so why not pop into your local store or branch to take advantage. Plus, we have the Colleague Jubilee Prize draw exclusively for colleagues from 30th May – 5th June on Colleagues Connect. Each colleague has been automatically placed into a prize draw to win a range of royal prizes in celebration of the jubilee. All you have to do is check back each day to see if you are a lucky winner. I hear the grand prize on Sunday is a 3-night Queen Mary 2 short Cruise – good luck!
Finally, I want to congratulate two colleagues from the Store Development Team celebrating a combined service of 50 years. Julian Carr celebrates 35 years’ service and Daniel Price 15 years’ service. Earlier this week in Warwick, I was glad to present them with their long service awards and would like to again say thank you for your hard work over the years. I am sure there are many memories to share. Congratulations!
Left to right, John Russell, Julian Carr (35 years) and Daniel Price (15 years) receiving their long service awards
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