A Co-op Food store on a busy road has suddenly shut down.
The Brockholes Co-op convenience store in the forecourt of the Texaco petrol station on New Mill Road was boarded up at the weekend.
And it isn’t the only one in the north of England as the Co-op announced that another of its petrol station stores had closed in Preston at the weekend.
A further five small stores have been earmarked for closure in Flyde, near Blackpool.
Co-op said it had sold the stores so it can re-invest in new stores with its aim to open more local stores.
A spokeswoman for the Co-op said: “The stores have to work for us. This decision has been taken in line with our strategy.
“The Co-op Food business is moving forwards with clear purpose and momentum and we are delivering a compelling and convenient shopping experience for our members and customers.
“It is essential that we have a proactive property programme in place to support our long-term growth plans and these sales align with that approach.
“We may sell some stores to re-invest the proceeds into new start-ups and acquisitions. However, our aim over the medium to longer term is to grow both our physical local presence and overall sales.
“Our strategy is clearly working, as evidenced by our recent results and continued positive like for like sales growth.”
