East of England Co-op plans to open a food store at Bishop’s Stortford’s Goodsyard development.
The Sextons Road outlet opposite the railway station will be the chain’s first in the town and is set to start trading in the summer.
The business has asked licensing authority East Herts Council for permission to sell alcohol from 6am to 11pm, Mondays to Saturdays, and from 7am to 10pm on Sundays.
The development is part of the retailer’s “ambitious expansion in the region”.
The new 2,500 sq ft (232 sq m) shop will provide everyday essentials as well as a range of hot and cold “food to go” options, including an in-store bakery and fresh coffee.
The space was previously used as Bellway Homes’ sales centre and show flats.
East of England Co-op is the largest independent retailer in East Anglia, with more than 200 food stores, travel agencies and funeral service branches.
It also operates fuel filling stations, runs a business security service, has a significant property portfolio and its other businesses include stonemasonry.
Overall, it employs more than 3,500 people and has a turnover in excess of £415 million.
Chief executive Doug Field said: “We’re very excited to be opening our first Hertfordshire food store in Bishop’s Stortford.
“As part of our continued growth plans, we’re always on the lookout to expand into new areas to bring our quality products and exceptional customer service to even more local communities.
“This is our third new food store in the last six months, following successful openings in Cambridgeshire and Chelmsford, and it’s in a fantastic location just opposite the station.
“New store openings are always great news for our team, but also create new opportunities for our members and the communities in which our stores are based.
“We look forward to being an active part of the local area and will continue to support through our Community Cares Fund, our food banks and the other community outreach programmes which are so important to us.”
The company will be recruiting customer service assistants and team managers. Jobseekers should apply at makeadifference.eastofengland.coop.
East of England Co-op is the first confirmed retailer at Solum’s Goodsyard development, which was granted planning permission in May 2018.
The £200m scheme comprises an 85-bed Travelodge hotel, 10,000 sq ft of retail outlets, 30,000 sq ft of office space and a 55-bed care home as well as over 700 new homes and two multi-storey car parks delivering almost 1,000 spaces.
The first co-operatives date back to the 1800s. East of England Co-op was founded over 155 years ago and is owned by its members – customers, colleagues and communities. It is independent of the Co-op Group and other regional co-operatives, but runs with the same principles.
Central Co-op Food operates a store in London Road, Sawbridgeworth, and the Co-op has an outlet in Church Road, Stansted.
The Co-operative Society previously had a presence in Bishop’s Stortford from the late 1800s, and in 1958 it built the two-storey Co-operative House on the corner of South Street and Station Road.
The department-style store closed in the 1980s and recently there has been a series of plans to use the site for commercial and residential purposes.