Meriden regeneration update – Co-op closure and reopening

Watford Community Housing and Co-op have worked together to find a way to keep the Meriden store open for an extra week to continue to serve the local community. 

As part of the ongoing Meriden regeneration scheme, a brand new Co-op branch will open on Friday 7 May. Co-op had planned to close the existing branch, on The Gossamers, on 24 April in order to decommission the store and transfer to the new site. However, Watford Community Housing and Co-op have worked together to find a solution for local shoppers, agreeing for the store to remain open until 6.00pm on Saturday 1 May.

This is fantastic news and means that the period between the existing store closing and the new one opening will now be less than a week, giving Meriden residents an extra week to stock up on supplies.

A spokesperson from the Co-op said:

“We are delighted to have been able to reach this agreement. Serving our members and customers is our number one priority – as a co-operative it is important to us that we listen to our communities, and do what matters most for them. We are pleased to be able to work with Watford Community Housing, and together we have been able to find a way to keep our existing store open for longer. We would like to thank the community for its understanding, and we look forward to soon welcoming them into our brand new store where we are working to develop the range, choice, products and services locally that will enable Co-op to better serve the community and, create a really compelling offer, conveniently.”

Ruchell Peng, Watford Community Housing’s Senior Project Manager for the Meriden development said: 

“We know that the local community relies on the Co-op, especially during the ongoing pandemic, and our customers have expressed concerns over not having the store open for two weeks. By working in partnership, we have been able to ensure that this will not be the case. We understand that Co-op will need some time to move from the existing site to the new store, but this agreement means that this period will be kept to an absolute minimum and we are pleased to have been able to reach a conclusion that is in the best interests of everyone involved.”

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Councillor Amanda Grimston and local resident Marion Strawhorne, who have both worked closely with us to help reach this agreement for the community.”