Central England Co-op has issued a plea to customers to show ‘care, compassion and respect’ to its colleagues as they work around the clock to serve their communities.
The retailer, which has 400 food stores and funeral homes across 16 counties, is asking communities to come together and support its front-line colleagues who are going above and beyond to replenish stock levels and keep stores and homes open.
In its food stores, the Society has also put in place a temporary limit of two of every product to help maintain stock levels but has reassured customers that there are no issues with its robust supply lines and that shops are getting daily delivers.
Chief Executive Debbie Robinson said, “Our colleagues are doing everything they can to ensure our community stores have enough food and goods for everyone.
“We want to ask everyone who visits us to be kind and treat each other with care, compassion and respect.
“If you’re able to say thank you to our colleagues when you see them, we are sure they would really appreciate the support at this time. Please be kind and respectful to everyone around you.
“I also want to send a big thank you to all of our colleagues working in our stores and homes. You are doing an amazing job helping to feed the nation and I cannot thank you enough for going above and beyond for our communities. Be safe and thank you.”
The retailer is also continuing a range of measures to help those whose lives have been affected by the Coronavirus.
This includes:
- An urgent food bank appeal to support its charity partners after they reported a major fall in donations at the same time as a spike in demand.
- A mass recruitment drive for Customer Service Advisors in many of its stores to ensure the community continues to be served.
- Donations to FareShare Midlands and Dementia UK to allow them to continue their vital community services
People can keep up to date with what is happening in their local community by visiting a dedicated online hub at www.centralengland.coop/updates