Co-op is kicking off the new year with a major online grocery expansion and the launch of an own-brand vegan range.
The convenience retailer said over the next 12 months its online same-day delivery service would be available across almost 100 towns and cities, served by 650 Co-op stores.
Co-op’s own dedicated online shop, known as shop.coop.co.uk, will be available from 250 stores, while as reported by The Grocer in November, it is expanding its partnership with Deliveroo to 400 stores.
This month shop.coop.co.uk will be rolled out to stores in Brighton, Bournemouth and Southampton. The service, which launched last year and uses low-emission transport such as e-bikes, was previously only available in London and Manchester.
The new vegan range, called GRO, also launches this month. The full 35-strong range will be available in 300 stores from 8 January, while selected lines will be stocked in 2,000 Co-op stores and up to 4,000 independent stores via its Nisa wholesale arm.
“At Co-op, we make it easier to get products when you need them and we stay close to our customers’ changing requirements,” said Co-op Food CEO Jo Whitfield.
“We have to provide fantastic products and services with strong ethics and a purposeful focus on convenience. Our new vegan range taps the latest consumer trends and our online services meet the growing appetite for fast home deliveries.”
Co-op said the GRO range had been designed with the convenience shopper in mind. GRO has been developed to take inspiration from some of Britain’s favourite dishes to create plant-based alternatives, including chilli con carne and sticky toffee pudding.
The retailer also announced its entire own-brand beer and cider range would become vegan in 2020, while it already offers almost 120 vegan wines.
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