Co-op and Churchill Catering come Together over Coffee

Vertas Group Limited’s commercial catering brand Churchill Catering has been awarded a concession deal to revamp and relaunch ten coffee shops around Great Britain, within Co-op’s convenience store portfolio.

Operating under the new brand name ‘& Coffee’, the shops will be redesigned to act as a community hub, stocking locally produced products.  The shops will also offer tailored food menus for breakfast and lunch.

The first Coffee Shop will be at the Ridgeway, Plymouth store in August, and the rollout programme will continue to the end of October.

Suffolk-based Churchill Catering has a long tradition of working in partnership with business and industry, police forces, country parks and leisure spots. It currently operates tourist cafes for Forestry England, and Forestry and Land Scotland, staff restaurants for police constabularies in East Anglia and catering for council-run leisure facilities nationally.

In 2018, Churchill Catering was acquired by the Vertas Group which is a specialist provider of facilities management services.

Churchill Catering and Vertas have similar brand values to the Co-op. They are committed to responsibly sourced local ingredients, acting with integrity in a sustainable way and partnering with suppliers and clients alike for the benefit of the customer.

Mark Pettigrew, Director of Innovation & Format at Co-op, said: “We want the coffee shops to be a place for the community to meet and enjoy a range of quality drinks and snacks, all under the new ‘& Coffee’ banner.  We’re really excited to be partnering with an expert in this field and to be able to offer our customers new reasons to visit us as we deliver a great new coffee experience.”

Ian Surtees, Chief Executive Officer at Vertas Group, said: “Securing this contract with Co-op is a huge accolade for us, putting us firmly on the map as a nationwide partner in the retail catering sector. It’s a result of a lot of teamwork, being transparent and open from day one and the track record Churchill Catering has in running these types of contracts.

“Co-op is one of Great Britain’s most trusted brands so it’s a wonderful honour to play our part in that success continuing. We are looking forward to working side by side with the in-store managers to create community hubs that provide more than just a great cup of coffee.”

The coffee shops being revamped and refitted are in stores in Heathfield, Holmfirth, Hove, Inverness, Louth, Peacehaven, Ridgeway, Ryde, Wadebridge, and Wickford.

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