East of England Co-op shops in Ipswich; Elmswell and Woolpit, near Bury St Edmunds, set to close for refurbishment

Suffolk shops are set to be refurbished in the coming weeks as part of a retailer’s £5 million investment.

East of England Co-op is to refurbish and upgrade the sustainability of four shops in the county: Belstead Hills, Ipswich; Elmswell; Woolpit and Rands Way, Ipswich.

Andy Rigby, chief operating officer, said: “We’re excited to announce these stores are to be part of our ongoing refurbishment programme and we’re excited to introduce services that will greatly enhance the experience for our members and customers.

“The improvements will make shopping easier and more enjoyable, while also reflecting our commitment to being environmentally conscious.”

The refurbishments will improve ‘member and customer experience’ on the shops’, as well as minimising their environmental impact through roof-installed solar panels and eco-friendly refrigeration units.

The new refrigeration units to be installed in the four stores could save up to 57 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, the equivalent of powering more than 8,000 average UK homes, while solar panels planned for the Belstead Hills and Rands Way stores will save up to an additional 13 tonnes per year.

The Elmswell and Rands Way shops will see other changes, including a new ‘to-go’ food range with fresh coffee, hot food, Tango Ice Blast, Fwip ice cream and an in-store bakery.

The Belstead Hills store will be the first in Suffolk to receive the upgrades, closing at 10pm on October 12 and re-opening at 7am on October 22.

The Elmswell shop will also close from 10p on October 12, reopening at 6am on October 31.

Rands Way closes at 10pm on October 29 and reopens at 6am on December 5.

The Woolpit store will be closed from 10pm on October 26 and is set to reopen at 7am on December 12.