Ludlow Co-op is up for sale – its not a good move

Staff at Ludlow Co-op on Foldgate Lane have been told the store is be sold. The business is owned by Midcounties Co-operative, part of the Co-op family of stores. The store will remain open until a buyer is found.

In the dozen years the Midcounties Co-op has operated at Foldgate Lane, it has served our community well. It has a good range of products for a store of its size and a busy petrol filling station. It is a busy store and many product lines fly off the shelves as soon as they come in. If it has any problem, it is having adequate stock for busy periods.

I shop at the Co-op most days as I live a short distance away. I have always found the staff friendly and helpful. They are either serving at the tills or busy stacking the shelves. Even at 6am in the morning most of them can raise a smile. It is very much a neighbourhood store, while also serving passing trade on the A49. I have always liked the product lines, though overall it is not as cheap as some other stores locally.

The staff must now be concerned for their jobs. Many have worked at the store for years. Their jobs are not under immediate threat but any sale creates uncertainty.

The move to sell the Ludlow Co-op is disappointing and goes against the community ethos of the Co-operative group. The Co-op has always had a strong community ethos and the stores are part of the communities.

There is no sign yet of a buyer for the store. Would Tuffins, which built the store and sold it to Midcounties Co-operative in 2012, be tempted to take it over? Or will be one of the big chains, most of which are investing in convenience stores, take it on?

Even if the planned M&S Food store is built on the opposite side of the A49 bypass, I think the Foldgate Lane Co-Op will trade well. It serves a different market. (M&S told me recently the store will be built but it has no start date yet for the work.)

Some will hope the new owner will bring cheaper petrol prices. They are likely to be disappointed. Unleaded petrol at Asda at Woofferton, which is £129.7 at Shrewsbury Asda, was 139.7p a litre yesterday. Woofferton was just 0.2p cheaper than the Co-op’s 139.9p. Applegreen on Bromfield Road retailed at 139.8p. Tuffins in Craven Arms was 137.9p. Further afield, at the always cheap Griffiths in Leintwardine, unleaded was priced at 126.9p.