Central England Co-op has officially opened its new store in Ashby - after a £700,000 relocation of its town centre branch to a bigger and more modern site.

The Society opened the Market Street store yesterday (Friday) - and the Co-op says it includes an impoved offering to the community with self-scan checkouts for those looking for a quick visit, a major food to-go upgrade with hot food, Costa Coffee, Tango Ice Blast and F'Real Milkshake machines, as well as a brand new instore bakery offering breads and pastries.

The modern, more spacious store is powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, with special eco-friendly fridges and LED lighting and a fresh new design including a feature map of Ashby on the wall of the store.

The opening has resulted in the closure of the previous Central England Co-op in Market Street, with the store team transferring to the new premises - which also includes customer parking and customer toilets.

Five new jobs have also been created by the move to the larger store. A food bank collection point has been installed to support Ashby Food Bank as it continues to manage the increased demand caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The store's relocation has caused some concern among Ashby residents due to the fact that it just a few hundred yards from the main town centre Co-op - which is owned by a completely different company. But the store has been keen to emphasise that the new store replaces the one at the other end of Market Street. This store is the same company, Central England, which runs the Co-op store in Burton Road. To mark the launch, Store Manager Chris Watson made a special donation to the food bank of food essentials that are currently in need - including washing tablets, jam, instant mash potatoes, long life sponge puddings, washing up liquid, neutral deodorant, sanitary towels and toilet paper. Chris said he and the store team were keen to make the donation to the food bank to highlight how customers and members can support through the in-store collection point, and he said they were delighted to be able to offer the Ashby community a much-improved shopping experience. He said: "It is great to finally open our doors to our brand new, bigger and more modern food store which has some fantastic new features we haven't been able to offer before due to the limitations of our previous location. "This includes self-scan checkouts, an in-store bakery and an unrivalled food to-go offering which I'm sure will prove really popular with our customers and members, as well as much greater ranges, including more locally-sourced products. "All of us here are proud to be part of the town centre community in Ashby so to be able to make this move to a bigger and better store at the heart of the high street is something we have been really looking forward to. "We are also keen to continue our support for Ashby Food Bank which is offering a lifeline to vulnerable residents and people struggling in these testing times, so I was happy to welcome them down for the launch and make a donation of food and essentials." Shoppers visiting the new store can sign up to become a Central England Co-op member to receive a range of member offers, join member groups and activities and help support the local community through the Society's Community Dividend Fund. The Market Street Central England Co-op food store is now open from 7am to 10pm, Monday to Sunday. The store offers a wide range of products from everyday necessities to something a little more special, including fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled beers and wines, fresh and frozen product and Co-op Irresistible and Fairtrade product ranges. It also offers Lottery and a free cash machine.