Leading Peterborough retailer saw sales grow over Christmas

Martyn Cheadle, chief executive of the Central England Co-operative.

Central England Co-operative says like-for-like sales grew by 4.1 per cent for the three key festive trading weeks ending January 5 across its 239 convenience stores, which include 12 in Peterborough.

This resulted in overall like-for-like sales rising by 1.5 per cent across the whole Society.

The retailer also saw Christmas Eve generate its highest ever turnover day of 2018 and the highest ever recorded on a Monday, with a figure of £3.8 million.

Martyn Cheatle, chief executive, said: “The whole team at Central England Co-operative are proud of these strong sales figures.

“Despite the tough environment we trade in, our expert planning, great products and the dedication and hard work of our colleagues have helped deliver these results.”

Over the same time, shoppers donated more than 75,000 items as part of its annual Food Bank Appeal, allowing for over 30,000 meals to be created for people in need during the festive period.

Mr Cheatle said: “We would also like to say a massive thank you to anyone who supported our Christmas Food Bank Appeal as this helped make a major difference to people in need across our trading area.”

Prominent retailer in Peterborough says festive sales beat the national average