West Midlands Co-op buys ex-Safeway store

WEST Midlands Co-op has acquired a former Safeway supermarket in Sedgley from Morrisons.
When Morrisons bought Safeway for &#163 3 billion it agreed to sell off 52 Safeway stores ? out of the total 480 outlets ? to satisfy competition rules.
One store has been sold to the society, five are expected to be sold to Asda, 14 to Sainsbury&#039s and a further 14 to Waitrose, which had already bought five other stores from Morrisons that were not on the Competition Commission&#039s list.
The 22,000 sq ft store will undergo a &#163 600,000 refurbishment, featuring the latest U-Scan self-scanning technology and electronic shelf-edge labels.
The branch will open its doors as a West Midlands Co-op supermarket on 27th August, following a two-week closure for refurbishment work to take place. James Sheldon, currently in charge of the society&#039s superstore in Stourport, has been appointed store manager.
Ben Reid, Chief Executive of West Midlands Co-op, said: "We are delighted to be able to further strengthen our status as the leading community retailer in the region.
"Sedgley is our 36th food store and will be an important addition to our business, providing the same high levels of quality products and customer service that our customers have come to expect from West Midlands Co-op.
"While investing in new technology features such as self-scanning, the store will also have eight traditional staffed checkouts to offer customers a choice."
The 140 staff working at the store in High Holborn will transfer to the Walsall-based society.
West Midlands Co-op food division has 15 other supermarkets and 20 convenience stores, and following this acquisition the society will employ a total of 2,300 staff.
Meanwhile, West Midlands Co-op&#039s Funeral Division has acquired two &#163 180,000 fleets, each comprising a hearse and two limousines, for funeral homes in Sedgley and Halesowen.
A further &#163 100,000 has also been spent on a new computer network, which links the society&#039s 33 funeral businesses.
Simon Fisher, General Manager for the Funeral Division, said: "This is a major investment, but as the largest funeral director in the region we are continually investing in our business."