Chelmsford Star searches for new Charity of the Year!

January 2010

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star has embarked on its annual search for its next ‘charity of the year’.

Christmas Business Highlights from Chelmsford Star

January 2010

Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive Officer reported on the business over the four week Christmas period ending 2nd January 2010.

New Charity of the Year Takes the Biscuit!

July 2009

The employees at Chelmsford Star Co-op Society have nominated the Little Havens Children’s Hospice as their Charity of the Year 2009/10.

Over the year employees will assist in fund raising efforts by running raffles, dress down days, sponsored events and other initiatives.

One of their local suppliers, Reads Bakery for instance, has produced a special twin pack smiley Shortbread biscuit from which 20p from every packet sold will be donated to the Hospice. These will be sold in 14 of the Chelmsford Star Co-op food stores.

Marketing & PR Manager, Vanessa Howard said;

“We are delighted to be working with Little Havens. We raised £23500 for our last Charity of the Year, Helen Rollason, so we have our work cut to try and at least equal that figure especially in a recession.”

The Society’s Board of Directors invites local charities to submit their details to them for nomination as Charity of the Year by the end of January 2010.

Braintree Quadrant ties up Miss Selfridge deal

July 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-operative has just secured a Miss Selfridge concession for its quadrant department store in Braintree, Essex.

The store has been developing its younger fashion element and has been actively seeking new brands to join its current portfolio including Top Shop and Bay Trading.

Department Stores Operations Manager, Robin Ducker said;

“We are delighted to announce that Miss Selfridge will be opening a 1500 sq ft concession by mid July. This should give our fashion floor a great boost as we move into the height of summer.”

Following a visit to the store earlier in the year the brand concluded that the market town with its high proportion of young shoppers was a perfect fit for its profile.

Meanwhile, the store is currently in discussion with further major brands which it hopes to secure for the early autumn.

New President and Vice President for Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society Ltd

July 2009

Following Terry Haggerty’s decision to step down from the position of President after the Society’s 2009 AGM, the Board of Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society chose Maurice Austin as its new President and Jan Martin as the new Vice President at its first Board Meeting after its AGM. Additionally, Pauline Green has taken up her position as a director having been elected to serve on the Board.

Maurice Austin joined the Board three years ago, having served a term on the Members’ Council and was the previous Vice President. Maurice has been a pension fund trustee, served on the Remuneration Committee and sat on the Rules Sub-Committee assisting with the introduction of Model Rules 12, as well as attending Audit Committee meetings.

Jan Martin was most recently Chair of Audit, had previously been Chair of Membership, and has served on the Remuneration Committee and as a pension fund trustee. Jan is the longest serving and most experienced director at Chelmsford Star with 7 years service.

Pauline Green has served the Members Council for two years, the last as Chair, entitling her to a seat on the Membership Committee. Pauline has attended director training courses. She therefore joins the Board with a degree of experience enabling her to quickly assimilate her role.

At its April AGM the Society again had contested elections for all levels of governance - four positions on the Board of Directors, one elected member on the Membership Committee and five Members’ Council seats. A total of 25 candidates put themselves forward for election.

SMART THINKING BY CHELMSFORD STAR CO-OP BATTLES CRIMINALS

June 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society is making a stand against criminals after unveiling a new security initiative which has been rolled out to a number of its food stores across the region.

Ten stores to date have each installed a forensic spray system called SmartWater which has over 500 criminal convictions to its name and a 100% conviction rate when used as evidence in court. SmartWater will be used as part of a co-ordinated security strategy to help deter thieves, protect stock and ensure the continued safety of staff members and customers.

The system works by spraying intruders with a chemical liquid containing a forensic signature which is registered to the premises, and provides Police with an irrefutable link between the criminal and the crime scene. The solution will stay on skin and hair for weeks and even longer on clothing, and is only visible under ultra-violet light, making it easy for the police to identify.

Retailers across the UK are increasingly turning to SmartWater as more and more criminals are disregarding traditional security methods which are often unable to secure a criminal conviction, even if they lead to an arrest. A simple balaclava or scarf can render the likes of CCTV useless as evidence in court.

A recent report by leading criminologist Professor Martin Gill from Leicester University named SmartWater as the most effective deterrent available after interviewing more than 100 criminal offenders. According to the report, 74% of interviewees said they would abandon their plans to break into a building if a SmartWater warning label was on display. The offenders in the research scored SmartWater as a more powerful deterrent than CCTV, Burglar Alarms and Security Guards.

Barry Wood, Chelmsford Star’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said: "During 2008 and early 2009, Chelmsford Star saw an increase in the incidents of burglary leading to disruption to the store and customers and a feeling of anxiety amongst staff. The decision to install SmartWater in our stores comes after consultation with Essex Police on not only how we can deter would be thieves but also how to assist the police in securing convictions following an arrest."

Phil Cleary, Chief Executive of SmartWater said: “The evidence provided by SmartWater is of great value to the Police because it provides forensic evidence that is accepted within a court of law. This has allowed us to successfully prosecute hundreds of offenders and we have never lost a case in court where SmartWater evidence has been used.”

Dc Arran Holmes from Essex Police, said: “The deterrent value offered by products such as Smartwater is well established; and here in Essex officers are aware of its use in helping to detect a crime. Criminals who are arrested following an incident where these products are used will give us evidence of their involvement and often results in convictions.”

New Look for Melbourne Co-op

May 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society relaunched its food store in Melbourne Avenue, Chelmsford, on Thursday 28th May, under its Co-operative fascia.

This is the Society’s eighteenth store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine-tune the range of products sold as well as modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Customers will also notice from the point of sale that far greater emphasis is now placed on promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label, recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand.

Store Manager, Neil Parrish said;

“We are receiving a lot of positive comments on how good the store looks especially the front fascia which really stands out on the parade. This is a very busy store and following the refit it’s even busier and sometimes it’s a job to keep up with everything, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The store was officially relaunched on Thursday 28th May at 10.00am by some of the stores youngest customers Ashley and Kaytlyn Baines and Lennon Miller. The youngsters joined in the store relaunch fun by getting their faces painted by Beez Neez.

Why a Makeover at the Co-op in Moulsham Lodge is good news for the local Community Centre!

April 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society relaunches its food store in Gloucester Avenue, Moulsham Lodge, Chelmsford, on Thursday 19th February under its Co-operative fascia.

This is the Society’s fourteenth store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine tune and extend the range of products sold as well as modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Customers will also notice from the point of sale that far greater emphasis is now put on promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label, recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand.

The store will be officially with help from members of the Moulsham Lodge Community Action Group who will receive a cheque for £300 from the Society. Marketing and PR Manager, Vanessa Howard said;

“We first heard about the action group some time ago in the local press and want to play our part by offering some financial support to get the project off the ground. A great deal of interest has been shown by the residents in retaining the Community Centre and we wish the action group every success”

The Group has also joined the Society’s Community Card scheme, which helps raise funds. Anyone wishing to assist by taking a card can contact The Groups Chairman Lorna Filler on 01245 290277.

Beehive Co-op gets transformed with a little Help from its Friends!

April 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society has relaunched its food store in Beehive Lane, on Thursday 2nd April, under its Co-operative fascia.

This is the Society’s fifteenth store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine-tune and extend the range of products sold as well as modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Customers will also notice from the point of sale that far greater emphasis is now placed on promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label, recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand.

Food Operations Manager, Kelvin McDonald said; “We are already receiving a lot of positive comments, in particular with the range increase as people like to shop local for ease - and of course it saves on petrol!”

The Society first opened the store in 1956 as a self service supermarket which was quite a new concept at the time! It was also the home of the Society’s first off-licence which opened in 1959!

The store was officially relaunched on Thursday 2nd April at 10.00am by members of the Royal British Legion.

A Terry Bows Out With A Fashionable Fund Raiser

April 2009

The quadrant department store recently held a Spring/Summer fashion show attended by the Deputy Mayor on behalf of their Charity of the Year, the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity. It was also to be the final event presided over by Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society’s President, Terry Haggerty, who is to retire from his position after 11 years service.

Some 20 top high street brands including menswear were represented on the catwalk modelled by staff, their friends and Supporters from the charity.

Marketing & PR Manager said; ‘We have been running a fashion show for a number for years now and what the audience appreciate the most is to see real women of all shapes and sizes on the catwalk.’

Guests were entertained in the intervals by dancing girls from New Palm Productions, whilst the show itself was compared by Essex FM’s Su Harrison. An impressive £1,168 in ticket sales and collections was raised, with all proceeds going to the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity.

FOOD, FURNITURE & FUNERALS POWER CHELMSFORD STAR TO A RECORD YEAR

April 2009

Local independent Co-operative, Chelmsford Star, has had another record year, despite the economic woes which has seen some big names disappear from the High Street.

Turnover grew by 10% to reach a new record of £64.3m. Trading profit reached £1020,000 up 12.6%, also a new record.

Commenting on the results, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “I am naturally very pleased that we have managed to increase our market share for the 11th successive year and to further grow our trading profit in what has been the worst year for retailing that I can recall”.

The Society’s results were driven in the main by strong “like for like” performances from Food, Furniture and Funerals.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Barry Wood stated, “The figures from Food, Furniture and Funerals are very impressive and reflect our ongoing efforts to improve our offer and the customer experience. I am particularly pleased about Furniture, our growth of almost 14%, compares with a market which is down some 10%”.

The Society’s President for the past eleven years, Terry Haggerty, has announced his retirement having been a Director for twenty-one years. The Society will be making a presentation to Mr Haggerty at its Annual General Meeting on 27th April 2009.

Viyella Saved from the Administrators

April 2009

High Street ladies fashion brand Viyella who called in the administrators on 7th January 2009, are reprieved as they are bought out of administration by the Austin Reed Group.

Viyella, who originally started in 1784, had traded until January with 100 stores and concessions. Since then they have rapidly had to close a great number including their departments in the House of Fraser. They currently have 37 units including only two left in Essex, namely one in the ‘quadrant’ department store, Chelmsford and the other in William and Griffin, Colchester.

Vanessa Howard, Marketing & PR Manager at the ‘quadrant’ said;

“Viyella is one of our best performing concessions and has a very big following; I am therefore delighted to hear on behalf of the staff and customers that the brand won’t disappear from Chelmsford. We are now looking forward to the imminent arrival of the spring/ summer collections which will feature in our April fashion show”

Austin Reed operates from 300 stores and concessions with the Austin Reed and CC (Formally County Casual) brands.

Wickford Co-op Gets a Make Over!

April 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society has relaunched its food store in St Peter’s Terrace, Wickford, on Thursday 9th April, under its Co-operative fascia.

This is the Society’s sixteenth store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine-tune the range of products sold as well as modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Customers will also notice from the point of sale that far greater emphasis is now placed on promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label, recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand.

Store Manager, Joan De Bond said; “We are already receiving a lot of positive comments on how good the store looks. This store has a real community feel about it and we have such a good rapport with all our customers that makes it a pleasure for me and my team to work here.”

The store was officially relaunched on Thursday 9th April at 10.00am by Mrs Gwen Andrews who lives above the store and whose husband used to own the premises prior to it being bought by the Society. The Society donated a cheque on behalf of Gwen to her chosen charity, The Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Executive Moves at Chelmsford Star

April 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-op has just recruited a replacement for its Member Relations Manager, Rod Lemka, who retires at the end March 2009.

Keith Grinsted takes over the position, armed with extensive sales and marketing experience gained from customer–facing roles across many business sectors.  His last position was in the charity arena where he advised charities across the country on their fund raising strategies.

He commented; 'I really feel this is an exciting time to join Chelmsford Star, especially as the Community Support Card Scheme is ten years old this year. I aim to use my considerable breadth of knowledge to build on the success of the department to date and take it forward.

Keith has an MBA from the Open University Business School, is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts and Commerce (FRSA), is a member of the Institute of Fundraising, and is a Trustee of Foley House (a residential home for deaf people on the outskirts of Braintree, Essex).

Star Result for Chelmsford’s Food Business

April 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society has just posted its Christmas trading results, which given the current climate, make very good reading.

For the three week over Christmas up to 3rd January 2009, the Society's core business- food, recorded an 8.97% like for like increase.  

Deputy Chief Executive, Barry Wood commented; ‘Over the last 18 months we have converted half of our food estate to the national Co-operative branding which has had a very positive benefit on both footfall and turnover.  This move has certainly contributed to our excellent seasonal performance.’

Plans are in place to convert the remainder of its food stores to the new branding throughout 2009. The Society hopes that the brand in tandem with its own local strategies will continue to provide its members and customers with a name that they can trust, in what looks to be a very challenging year ahead.

Mr Wood concluded on the trading increase: ‘Our Directors and Executive Management team are delighted with the Christmas trading results and pay tribute to the commitment of the staff that made them possible’

Finally, the Society expects to streamline its membership operations in 2009 due to the recent joining of the National Membership Scheme.

Chelmsford Star searches for new Charity of the Year!

April 2009

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star has embarked on its annual search for its next ‘charity of the year’.

The Board of Directors compiles a short list in mid-February and then invites the 600 members of the Society’s staff to vote on their preference.

The name of the charity with the most votes is then declared at the annual general meeting at the end of April. The charity and Society then work on funds raising ideas for the year, including collecting tins featured at all till points as well as sponsored concepts and raffles.

Terry Haggerty, Society President said; ‘The Board of Directors are looking for local registered charities to put themselves forward as potential candidates backed up with a written statement on why the funds are required.’

In 2007 the Society raised just over £22 000 for the Essex Air Ambulance and is more than half way through with this years nomination, the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity.

Interested parties should contact Terry Haggerty-President at 220 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 OLS by 16th February 2009.

Co-op Event Raises the profile of Fairtrade

April 2009

Chelmsford Star Co-op has just held a very successful Fairtrade event at its quadrant department store in support of Fairtrade Fortnight attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Chelmsford.

Each year the Society aims to help educate the public on different aspects of Fairtrade and on this occasion it put together a number of presentations from Fairtrade today in the Co-op to Rachael Hewings, Chair of Chelmsford Fairtrade Town Campaign with an update on what the town was doing for Fairtrade Fortnight followed by Gemma Steptoe from the Fairtrade Foundation discussing their role and how its growing. The Society also showed a short film on the impact of Fairtrade on Banana growers.

Marketing and PR Manager Vanessa Howard said; ‘Over 90 people attended and from feedback it was pleasing to see how many people felt that events like this were so important to promoting the concept of Fairtrade and enable more people to get a greater understanding and appreciation of it.’

The evening finished with a Co-op Fairtrade wine tasting accompanied by a Fairtrade curry and Banoffee pie provided by the Brambles restaurant.

Star Co-op Closes White Court Food Store

April 2009

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star ceased trading in its convenience food store located in White Courts, Braintree on Sunday 18th January, 2009.

Opened in October 2004, the store replaced a former convenience business which had traded there for many years.

Despite the Society’s best efforts the store struggled to achieve a level of business required to make its future viable.

Barry Wood, Deputy Chief Executive Officer said;

“It is with regret that we have had to take this action, however we simply cannot afford to loose money especially in this difficult economic climate. I would just add that I would like to thank our staff and customers for their support. However, there is some good news for local residents because the store has been sold to Mr and Mrs Patel who will maintain a convenience store presence in the area and we wish them every success for the future.”

White Courts staff have either been moved to other branches or have decided to stay with the new owners. The Society has another four stores in the area with the nearest located in Challis lane.

A Remembrance Evening for the locals

December 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Funeral Services held its first evening remembrance service at its branch in Great Baddow on Friday 12th December.

Over 70 people turned up to hear carols by the All Saints Church Choir, Springfield, the blessing of the Christmas tree by Reverend Sandy Southee of St Mary’s Church in Great Baddow, a Christmas poem by Peter Bethge a non-conformist celebrant, and a very moving Last Post by The Salvation Army the Royal British Legion standard bearers.

The evening finished by personal remembrance messages being placed on the Christmas tree followed by mince pies and mulled wine.

Senior Funeral Operative, Craig Jackson said;

“It was a great turnout and many people mentioned how moved they were by the service. I would like to thank all who gave their time into making the evening so special.”

Due to its success the Funeral Services plan to run a repeat next year.

Co-op Hawkwell joins forces with Local School

November 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society relaunched its food store in Main Road, Hawkwell, on Thursday 27th November under its Co-operative fascia.

This is the Society’s fourteenth store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine tune and extend the range of products sold as well as modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Customers will also notice from the point of sale that far greater emphasis is now put on promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label, recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand.

The store was officially relaunched by pupils for the local Westerings Primary School who received a cheque for £200 from the Society. The school plans to put the money towards a playground project it is currently running.

Quadrant Braintree Fashion Show Raises over £1000 for Helen Rollason

November 2008

The quadrant department store in Braintree ran its first charity fashion show on 19th November in aid of the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity.

The show attended by Braintree Councils Vice Chairman Margaret Galione and compared by Su Harrison from Essex FM showcased the many high street brands found in the store. Using a travel as the catwalk theme, the audience were entertained by models from the store, as well as the Helen Rollason charity. A prize draw was held at the end involving gifts kindly donated from the store.

All the proceeds from the ticket sales and raffle amounting to £1019 were donated to a very appreciative fund raiser for the charity (Rosemary Jenson). She revealed to the audience her own very moving experiences of cancer and how the charity helped her in her hour of need.

Store Controller, Fiona Mockett said;

“This was a tremendously successful evening as we had over 160 guests which were far more than we expected as many paid on the door on the night. We fortunately were able to raid our furniture department for extra seats!”

The Store would like to thank all involved and in particular the audience for being so supportive, and look forward to putting on another show for charity next year.

Co-op Links with Local schools in more ways than one!

November 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society relaunched its food store in Princess Margaret Road, East Tilbury, Essex on Thursday 13th November under its Co-operative fascia.

This is the Society’s twelfth store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine tune and extend the range of products sold as well as modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Customers will also notice from the point of sale that far greater emphasis is now put on promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label, recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand.

There is however, another reason why all eyes will be on the store, this is because of its links with East Tilbury Infant and Junior schools which are feeders to the St Clere’s School nearby in Stanford-le-Hope.

St Clere’s is one of some 100 schools who are seeking to adopt the Co-operative model of governance and become a Co-operative Trust School. The public consultative process is now underway and the school is hopeful of having everything in place by next January. St Clere’s will become the first Co-operative Trust School in Essex and will work in collaboration with the Manchester based Co-operative College and its local independent Co-op, Chelmsford Star.

Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive Officer for Chelmsford Star said;

“It is expected that the number of Trust schools will reach to 100 by 2010. We are very pleased to be involved in the early stage of such an important educational project and look forward to helping St Clere’s achieve their Trust School Status and contributing on an ongoing basis”

The store was officially relaunched on Thursday 13th November at 10.00am by pupils from the East Tilbury Junior School and head pupils from St Clere’s School.

Chelmsford’s Stars Department store wows the Rotary Club!

November 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-op recently opened the doors of its Chelmsford ‘quadrant’ department store to the local Rotary Clubs for an exclusive shopping evening.

On 11th November, 166 members descended upon the store each paying £10 for a ticket which included £5 towards a buffet and £5 to be split between their charity, Polio Plus and Chelmsford Star’s charity of the year, the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Appeal.

The store offered discounts of up to 20%, a mini fashion show, prize draws, free samples and seminars on how to be stylish this season. On top of this local businesses gave a donation for display space from which they gave out free mini health checks, posture and spinal checks and skin assessments.

Operations Controller, Robin Ducker said;

‘This was a great opportunity to increase the stores awareness to a group of people who fitted our customer profile perfectly. The evening was very successful and we received a lot of positive comments on the store.’

Both charities were presented with a cheque for £500 and the Rotary Club enjoyed the evening so much that another date has already been fixed for a repeat in 2009, where they intend to spread the invitations to more Rotary Clubs in the region.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Funeral Services win their Sixth Mid-Essex Business Award for Best Customer Service

October 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-ops Funeral Division had recent cause to celebrate by winning yet another Mid-Essex Business Award for Best Customer Service at UNEX Towerlands, Braintree on 10th October 2008. They have won this award each year since 2003 in a category which has more entries than any other.

On this occasion with such a high level of expectation the judges (Bird Luckin) were keen to see them go way beyond what is expected and were interested to see just how they continually strive to find new ways to improve. The judges were impressed with, the funeral services crucial attention to detail and the fact that the staff assume nothing. They were also praised on their professionalism and on in working to the highest ethical and technical standards.

The very nature of the Star Co-ops Funeral business is not just funeral service but a complete bereavement and aftercare service – not just for its own clients but for anyone bereaved.

Craig Jackson – Funeral Operations Manager said;

‘Our team was delighted to receive this award and I would personally like to thank not only them but our helpers at our Bereavement and Aftercare Support Groups’.

In early 2008, the funeral service also won the same category in the Essex Business Awards and was nominated in the national Retail Bulletin Awards, held in London for best “Customer Initiatives”, the other nominees were Comet, Lloyds Pharmacy and Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Surge in Profits at Chelmsford Star

October 2008

Local Co-operative, Chelmsford Star, reports a surge in trading profit for 28 weeks ended 9th August, defying the “doom and gloom” which pervades the High Street.

Turnover for the 28 weeks has increased by 9.7% to reach a new record of £33,841,120; like for like growth is an equally impressive 7.4%.

All business segments have contributed, the convenience food shops have recorded growth of 8.4%, the ‘quadrant’ department stores have had a remarkable period of trading, turnover excluding concessions is up 12.5%, with furniture and carpets recording growth of 17.8%. The funeral business, aided by new branches in Danbury and Writtle, has achieved turnover growth of almost 27%, and holiday bookings via the Society’s ‘quadrant’ Travel Centres are up 9%.

Trading profit is £540,489, an increase year on year of £155,880 or 40%.

Commenting on the results, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon, stated: “This is a very encouraging result, especially when prevailing market conditions are taken into account. I am particularly pleased that all of our businesses have contributed but particularly pleased for our ‘quadrant’ department stores because this is the area where consumers are really cutting back”.

The Society is making a big investment in the Co-operative Brand and the new look shops and distinctive fascias are starting to roll-out, shops in Braintree, Danbury and Ingatestone have recently re-launched.

Commenting on the Brand initiative, the Society’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Barry Wood, who heads the project, stated: “Our ethical positioning, promotion of Fairtrade products, environmental initiatives such as re-cycling and our support for local community groups, coupled with our value for money offer makes us a bit different from the majority of the High Street chains, and our customers have responded”.

Chelmsford Star Nominated for Prestigious National Awards

October 2008

Local Co-operative, Chelmsford Star, has been nominated in two categories for the prestigious “People in Retail” Awards 2008.

The first nomination is for “Responsible Retailing” and reflects the Society’s commitment to its environmental goals. Other nominees are Asda and the Co-operative Group.

The second nomination is in the category “Customer Initiatives”, the other nominees are Comet, Lloyds Pharmacy and Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Commenting on the nominations, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “As a local business, I am extremely proud that our efforts in terms of environmental initiatives and customer service have been recognised in such a prestigious national competition and against massive national brands”.

104 year old Edna relaunches the Co-op in Ingatestone

September 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society has just relaunched its food store in Ingatestone High Street and rebranded it ‘the Co-operative Ingatestone’.

This is the Society’s seventh store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine tune and extend the range and modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Great emphasis has been put behind promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label especially as it was recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand. Local food also plays a more important part with new lines being introduced such as the famous Rossi’s Ice Cream.

Food Operations Manager, Kelvin McDonald said;
“We have made this store more of a supermarket than a convenience store so that people can now find most of their requirements on their doorstep, especially when it makes more sense to shop local with escalating petrol prices. We hope that everyone is pleased with what we have done and they have a local store they can be proud of.”

The store was officially relaunched on Thursday 4th September at 10.00am by local customer Mrs Edna Pretty. Edna who is an incredible 104 years old (105 in November) shops daily in the store and has been a regular customer of the Co-op in Ingatestone for the last 75 years! Edna amazed everyone by taking up the Co-ops offer of a free trolley dash picking up her favourite items on the way. She put her agility down to having a love of life and eating well including the odd sweet or two!

Broomfield Co-op gets a little help from the Boys from the Royal British Legion

September 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society is just about to relaunch its food store in Broomfield and is rebranding it ‘the Co-operative Broomfield’.

This is the Society’s eighth store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine tune and extend the range and modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Great emphasis has been put behind promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label especially as it was recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand. Local food also plays a more important part with new lines being introduced such as the famous Rossi’s Ice Cream.

Food Operations Manager, Kelvin McDonald said;
“We are already receiving a lot of positive comments in particular to the range increase as people like to shop local for ease and of course it saves on petrol!”

The store will be officially relaunched on Thursday 18th September at 10.00am by members of the Broomfield Royal British Legion.

New Look Co-operative for Danbury

July 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-op has just given its ‘Altogether Fresher’ convenience store in Danbury a new look and re-named it Co-operative Danbury. It was officially relaunched on Thursday 16th July by pupils from the Heathcote School.

This is the Society’s sixth store to take on this new fascia and it has taken considerable time and effort to fine tune and extend the range and modernise the environment to make the store a more pleasurable place to shop. Great emphasis has been put behind promoting the many positives of the Co-operative label especially as it was recently voted Britain’s most ethical brand. Local food also plays a more important part with new lines being introduced such as the famous Rossi’s Ice Cream.

Food Operations Manager, Kelvin McDonald said;
“We have made this store more of a supermarket than a convenience store so that people can now find most of their requirements on their doorstep, especially when it makes more sense to shop local with escalating petrol prices. We hope that everyone is pleased with what we have done and they have a local store they can be proud of.”

Originally opened in 1999, the store now plays a vital role in the local community by not only providing a home for the village post office but also by helping local community groups raise funds, supporting the Danbury Flyer and sponsoring the Danbury Fireworks.

Chelmsford Star also Co-operates in French!

June 2008

Mid-Essex based Co-operative Society; Chelmsford Star is currently acting as a guinea pig in a student work placement scheme (the first of its kind in the UK) with a college in Tarbes, South West France.

The college first contacted the Society last December with a request for retailing work experience to complement their student’s final year of a retailing studies course. Suitable bona fides were exchanged, and on 2nd June, Laura Lima and Rachel Marquez accompanied by their teachers duly arrived for a month’s trial.

This was the first visit abroad by the non-English speaking seventeen and eighteen year old students. So, to make them feel comfortable they stayed in a secure family environment with a Society employee, who kindly volunteered to act as host. As a consequence, their work experience programme across the Society’s stores was devised to encourage not only the understanding and use of the English language but to achieve professional and cultural objectives.

Rod Lemka Member Relations Officer to whom they reported to during their stay commented;

“To date the students seem to be fully enjoying their experiences whilst making rapid improvements in their grasp of English and personal development. They have fitted in very well and their hands on experience has allowed them to learn many new skills”

The Society will review whether it intends to repeat the exercise in the future.

Chelmsford Star Co-op gets ‘Smarter’ with its Electricity Bills

June 2008

Mid-Essex Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star is pleased to announce that its drive to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels is now starting to pay dividends with year on year, like for like decrease of 11.98%.

Smart Meters were introduced into the majority of its stores last year at which time most managers underwent a training programme to increase awareness. Where training was completed a distinctive improvement in energy saving was recorded with the best store showing a 25% improvement.

Stores receive a monthly readout of their meterage enabling them to manage their consumption. The Energy Institute claims where staff awareness is high then the average saving can be between 10-15% of the annual energy bill.

Deputy Chief Executive Office, Barry Wood said;

“We still have a few newer stores waiting for meter installation which will be completed by the late Autumn. Whilst four of our stores are still waiting for training and interesting enough are all showing increases in last year. So we have our work cut out but I am very pleased that we are able to prove these industry figures are achievable”.

The Society plans to update all staff of the news in its next internal newsletter and will include examples of where staff have also started to take note of their home consumption. This includes one lady who by changing to more efficient plug sockets/light bulbs and A-energy rated appliances was able to reduce her electricity bill to £75 per quarter.

Quadrant welcomes yet another three high street trading partners

May 2008

Chelmsford’s only independent department store is about to introduce a further three major high street brands into its store in Moulsham Street. These will be Chesca (ladies plus size), Jane Shilton (Footwear and Accessories) and Mostyns (Curtains and Fabrics).

Since it relaunched in April 2006 the store has changed beyond recognition and has been likened more than once to the House of Fraser. Marketing & PR Manager said;

“We work very hard on our image and range which targets the 35+ market. For instance we offer over 25 leading fashion brands including many that you would otherwise have to travel to London for. This includes the iconic ‘East’ label which only opened recently and who chose our store for their very first Essex branch. The store also has many useful services including a tailor, hairdresser and photographic studio as wellbeing home to the largest selection of quality furniture in the town centre.”

More and more discerning members of the public are discovering that the quadrant has seemingly picked up where Bolingbroke and Wenley left off and Chelmsford has indeed a very credible independent department store and one to be proud of.

Its official – Chelmsford Star Co-op Funeral Services offers the best Customer Service in Essex!

May 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-ops Funeral Division has just won the Excellent Customer Services Category (Medium Sized Company) in the prestigious Essex Countryside Business Awards 2008.

A glittering gala evening was held on 9th May at the Cliffs Pavilion which saw over 750 people in attendance, representing the very best in Essex business.

The Excellent Customer Service category sponsored by Wilson James was un-indated with entries, which were narrowed down to 9 on the evening.

Prior to the event the Funeral Division were interviewed and grilled on all aspects of their business relating to customer service.

Craig Jackson – Funeral Operations Manager said;

‘Due to the nature of our business Customer Service is paramount and we always go way beyond what is expected as a matter of course. For example the judges seemed particularly impressed that we ran five free Bereavement and Aftercare Support Groups not only for our own customers but for anyone who is bereaved.’

The funeral department’s contingency at the Awards held its breath in anticipation as the competition was so high, and were ecstatic when they were called to the stage to receive the Award.

This Award is the icing on the cake in a long line of Awards that they have won since 2003. For not only have they won the same category in the Mid-Essex Business Awards for the last five years running but in 2004 they also won the Community category.

Member Involvement Continues to Grow

April 2008

Nominations for the Board, Membership Committee and Members’ Council in Chelmsford Star, closed on 17th March 2008.

In total, fifteen candidates are seeking election, six are completely new faces, and nine are members who are either seeking re-election or seeking to move up from the Members’ Council to the Board of Directors.

Society Secretary, Roger Myddelton, comments “the Society’s pro-active strategies for getting members involved in the Society have paid off handsomely, this is a reward for a lot of hard work, also our decision to introduce a fully elected Members’ Council as the ‘democratic entry point’ has paid off as members have gained in confidence and experience by being part of the Council”.

The Society will announce the election results at its Annual General Meeting on 28th April 2008.

Chelmsford Star Co-op’s Charity of the Year Gets of to a Flying Start!

April 2008

Staff at Chelmsford Star Co-op nominated the Essex Air Ambulance as their very first Charity of the Year for 2007/8.

Throughout the period staff personally got involved in a variety of fund raising events from sponsored car washes, raffles, fashion shows, quizzes, bike rides, hobby talks to a breath taking sky dive! Customers also gave generously via collection boxes at all till points.

Together, over £22 000 was raised which is enough to cover at least 11 flights and could result in lives being saved.

Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive Officer said;

“This was a magnificent achievement and I am very proud of our staff for their ingenuity and commitment on fund raising. I would also like to thank every one of our customers who gave generously. This effort just shows that together we can make a difference”

The Essex Air Ambulance relies on public and private donations as they get no funding from the government. It’s an expensive operation to run but is sometimes the only way to get people to hospital when time is critical. Therefore its ability to save lives is invaluable and it is an asset to the Essex public.

Chelmsford Star Co-ops Charity of the Year for 2008/9 has once again been determined by the staff and the recipient will be the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity.

Local Youth Group Opens New Forest Drive Co-op

March 2008

Chelmsford Star Co-op has just opened its 29th convenience food store in Forest Drive, Chelmsford on 28th March and branded ‘the Co-operative’.

The 1200 square foot store located on a busy parade was formally trading as Rusts when the Society took it over last February. Initially it carried on as business as usual until a few weeks ago when it was given a complete makeover including a much extended range and the introduction of PayPoint.

On launch day Manager, Jenny Evans invited volunteers from the nearby youth club “Raw Café” to mark the grand opening.

Jenny said;
‘We kept all the original staff on when we took over this store, and as some of them volunteer for this youth group so it seemed the ideal way to thank their support.’

The Raw Café is a Christian Growth Centre, situated on the Widford Industrial Park, just across the road from the Forest Drive store, and run by volunteer Josiah Parr.

Josiah said;
Every Friday night for the last 4 years the cafe has been open for youths of the Westlands estate. With a skate park, pool tables and games consoles, the Raw Café has provided a safe and fun environment for youth and has reduced the crime rate of the area.

This is the fifth Co-operative branded store for the Chelmsford Star Society who plan to gradually change all the other ‘Altogether Fresher’ and ‘Co-op Local’ fascias to this new branding following refits over the next few years.

East, a First for Essex

March 2008

Ethnic brand East has just opened up its first outlet in Essex as a concession in the ‘quadrant’ department store in Chelmsford.

Retail and HR Director Suzi Spink said;

‘Chelmsford is a busy thriving town and one that we have been watching with interest for some time, particularly as the brand is not represented in Essex. The ‘quadrant’ is a perfect partner for us as our customer profiles are similar, the 45+ confident woman looking for a stylish wardrobe and expecting the very best in customer service.’

The ‘quadrant’ is Chelmsford’s only independent department store and offers over 24 leading high street fashion concession brands and aims to add more over the coming months.

One hundred thousand register support for Co-operative food ethical policy.

February 2008

Following the world’s largest consumer poll on ethics, The Co-operative Food has today (4 February) announced a range of initiatives to tackle key areas of concern.

The retailer is banning the sale of eggs from caged hens from all its stores with immediate effect, converting its entire own-brand hot beverage range to Fairtrade, radically reducing the weight of its wine packaging and adding a further 66 pesticides to its prohibited list.

The actions follow the results of a six-month consultation programme with members and customers on the development of a food ethical policy launched last September.

The Co-operative has revealed that more than 100,000 members across the UK responded to the poll to guide its responsible retailing strategy. As well as providing an overwhelming mandate for its existing ethical policies, members have also strongly signalled their future priorities for action.

When asked to name one area of priority, three main categories emerged as members’ greatest concerns: ethical trading (27 per cent), animal welfare (25 per cent) and the environment (22 per cent)*.

As a result, The Co-operative is to become the first UK retailer to convert its entire own-brand hot beverage category - worth over £16 million annually - to Fairtrade. The consumer-owned organisation, which is the only retailer to have converted its own-brand coffee range to Fairtrade, is now switching all Co-operative tea - including its iconic 99 Tea - to Fairtrade, along with the rest of its hot chocolate range.

The move will benefit producers in some of the world’s poorest countries in East Africa and India. As well as receiving a guaranteed price for their crop, they will get a Fairtrade premium to invest in projects of their choice, such as water supplies, educational equipment and medical facilities.

The ban on the sale of eggs from caged hens means that all eggs on sale at The Co-operative are now free range or organic. The Co-operative broke ranks with the industry back in 1995 when it became the first retailer to label eggs “Intensively Produced”, a technically illegal step, which led to a change in the law and to eggs being labelled “From Caged Hens”. The Co-operative launched the world’s lightest whisky bottle last year and is today announcing that the glass used for the bottles for 26 different wines – amounting to 8.2 million bottles per annum - will be dramatically reduced, saving a total of 450 tonnes of glass per annum.

Its move on pesticides means there are now 98 chemicals on The Co-operative’s prohibited list compared to the 32 that were previously listed**, emphasising to own-brand growers and suppliers worldwide the importance of good crop and environmental management, operator safety and the promotion of non-chemical methods of control.

Peter Marks, Chief Executive, The Co-operative Group, said: “Our members have endorsed our ethical approach to business and provided us with some real challenges going forward. We have listened to what they have had to say and are taking action in key priority areas now and not at some far off or unspecified point in the future.

“More than one in four of our members cited ethical trading as their priority, and in particular support for Fairtrade, so we’re converting our entire range of own-brand tea to Fairtrade. By the middle of this month all tea produced under The Co-operative label will be Fairtrade. Alongside our Fairtrade coffee and hot chocolate, this means that all our own-brand hot beverages benefit producers in developing countries.

“A similar number said that animal welfare was a priority and as a result we’re banning, with immediate effect, the sale of all caged eggs within our stores.

“On the environment, members have said that they want to see action on packaging and waste, so today we’re announcing a major reduction in the weight of our wine packaging, as glass accounts for half of all of our packaging by weight. And, given that members were so supportive of our commitment to remove substances of concern, we are also announcing today that our prohibited list of pesticides for own-brand products has tripled to almost 100.”

Mr Marks revealed: "One surprising finding of the poll was that only four per cent of members cited climate change as their ethical priority, given the huge publicity it has attracted in recent years. Despite this, The Co-operative remains fully committed to maintaining its leadership and to supporting the global drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “Whilst only a small percentage of members listed climate change as their highest ethical priority, the vast majority still endorses the leadership position we have taken in this area. Over the next decade we will work even harder to help our customers understand the threat we face and the actions we can all take. Moreover, as we have said previously, we will continue to work our hardest to ensure that the world’s poorest are not disadvantaged as part of our drive to reduce carbon.” The Co-operative Group has been trading responsibly since 1863, when it was set up to sell quality products at a fair price***. It has a long tradition of ethical business practices across all of its businesses, including The Co-operative Bank and Co-operative Insurance, driven by the active involvement of member-customers.

The Co-operative is regarded by many as the top ethical retailer in the UK, due to its pioneering credentials in areas such as Fairtrade and climate change. In 1992, it was the first supermarket to embrace Fairtrade by stocking Cafédirect, and followed this in 2000 by introducing the UK’s first Fairtrade bananas. In terms of environmental initiatives, the Group started the switch to green electricity back in 1998 and in 2006 it became the first major retailer in the UK to switch all its mainland outlets to green electricity.

In 2007, the Group’s leading-edge work in these areas was recognised when it became the first major retailer to receive the Queen’s Award for Sustainability, it was declared the UK’s greenest high street retailer by the BBC’s Money Programme and voted the UK’s most ethical brand in a Gfk NOP survey.

New Funeral Home for Writtle

September 2007

Chelmsford Star Co-op opened its 6th funeral home in Writtle on Friday 7th September at 10.00am.

Located in the former Lloyds Bank on the green, the building has been transformed into a modern funeral home including a chapel of rest named ‘Marconi’. And in keeping with the local theme, Writtle artist Michael Lawrence provided a number of his prints to add a more homely feel.

The new branch was opened by the Mayor and Mayoress of Chelmsford who were accompanied by local religious ministers including Reverend Michael Jones. The opening ceremony commenced with a lone piper who played Amazing Grace, followed by a blessing of the chapel and the event finished with a session from the Writtle hand bell ringers.

Opening times are Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.00pm and it is managed by Family Liaison Officer, June Carter who has moved from the Society’s highly successful branch in Ingatestone.

Married with four children and from Chignall, Essex, June has a background in the funeral business and has worked in the past as a branch manager of James Hawes and Goodchild in Harlow. She has also been involved in caring for older people firstly in a residential home and then as a manager of a day centre. Prior to recently joining Chelmsford Star she worked for the Calvern Care Agency who has an outstanding reputation for providing palliative care at home. June said:

“I am very familiar with Writtle where I attend the church and Community Centre. I am looking forward to meeting people and getting involved in village life. Our new funeral home will be a friendly welcoming place and I would welcome anyone to drop in for a chat and have a look around”

The funeral home has a complete offer including Pre-payment plans, green funerals, repatriation, memorials, pet funerals and bereavement care.

Finally, the Society’s funeral department has won the Mid Essex Business Awards for the past four years in the ‘Best Customer Service’ category, something that June is proud to be a part of. She adds;

“We have been selected again as a finalist in this year’s awards, which really says it all about our commitment to the business, where the client comes first”

Attention – Important information for all Fairtrade fans

September 2007

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star is sponsoring the much acclaimed film ‘Black Gold’ which was launched back in June but has yet to be shown in Essex.

‘Black Gold’ (12A) is a film documentary which shows the plight of coffee growers from Ethiopia in an exploitative global market.

Tadesse Meskela, (Manager of a coffee farmers’ co-operative), travels to Europe in his quest to save his 74 000 growers from bankruptcy. He tries to find buyers willing to pay a fair price and looks in vain to find a single packet of Ethiopian coffee on the shelves of a London supermarket.

Terry Haggerty, Society President said;
“ This is such a emotive film that we believed that people in Chelmsford should have the opportunity to see it as it is a real eye opener into what really goes on behind the scenes of the coffee industry and about the winners and losers in the Fairtrade arena”

The film which lasts 80 minutes will be shown at the Cramphorn theatre on Monday 8th October at 8pm and Tuesday 9th October at 4pm. Ticket prices are available from the box office on 01245 606505 from £1.50-£3.50 which will be donated to the Chelmsford Fairtrade Town Campaign.

If you don’t buy Fairtrade coffee after this you never will!

Co-Operative launches UK'S first own-label ethical water

September 2007

The Co-operative is launching the UK’s first own-label ethical water to help transform the lives of some of the poorest people in Africa.

Over one billion people in the world don’t have access to clean water, and two million people die every year from water-related diseases.

Every time a Co-op customer buys a bottle or multi-pack of The Co-operative Fairbourne Springs Mineral Water, the community-based retailer will automatically make a donation to The One Foundation* to fund the installation of a PlayPump® Water System, ensuring people get free, readily available, clean water.

Just £7,800 will fund the installation of a PlayPump® and The Co-operative hopes to donate enough money from the sale of Fairbourne Springs to fund the installation of 100 PlayPumps® a year, which will transform the lives of more than 250, 000 people. All 3,200 Co-op food stores across the UK including 28 from the Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society, will be selling the own-label water.

The innovative PlayPump® Water Systems are powered by roundabouts, which children play on and pump water up to a storage tank for use by the whole community. The PlayPumps® are so popular with the youngsters that there is never a shortage of “volunteers”, and the pumps are so efficient that they also produce excess water for irrigation purposes.

This initiative is the first of its kind for own-label water and is yet another ethical “first” for the Co-op, which was recently named as the “greenest retailer on the high street” in a BBC2 Money Programme Special and has a long history of supporting Fairtrade and other ethical initiatives.

Debbie Robinson, Director of Food Retail Marketing at The Co-operative Group, commented: “This is an easy way for our customers to make a difference to thousands of people’s lives in Africa. It’s a “water for water” concept that makes perfect sense, and we hope that many shoppers will switch to The Co-operative Fairbourne Springs instead of their usual branded mineral water.”

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Funeral Services Opens in Danbury

May 2007

Local Co-op Society, Chelmsford Star opened in mid May its fifth funeral home, located at 57A Main Road, Danbury on the site previously occupied by Maxelle fashion.

The Society is in fact no stranger to this spot as it first opened a food store in the same premise back in 1925, so it has come full circle in ownership.

The new home is very comfortable and contains state of the art equipment as well as two chapels of rest. These are called Riffhams and Lingwood after local famous landmarks. The staff have been especially chosen for their knowledge of the area and have will receive first class training in customer care.

Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive Officer said

‘Our funeral division have been proud to have won best excellent customer services in the Mid Essex Business Awards for the past 4 years and I know that our very high standards will fit in with exactly what the village and surrounding area of Danbury expect’.

The Mayor of Chelmsford officially opened the home on Friday 18th May at 10.00am, when she was joined by representatives from all the local religious denominations.

Anyone wishing to discuss any aspect of the funeral service from pre-payment funeral plans to bereavement & aftercare support is welcome to call at any time and the staff will be only to happy to help.

Chelmsford Star Co-op is to open in Tilbury, Essex

May 2007

Chelmsford Star Co-op is to open in Tilbury, Essex

Mid Essex Co-operative, Chelmsford Star officially opened its latest convenience store in Princess Margaret Road, Tilbury on 2nd May at 9.00am.

The store, formally a Londis, is the 28th convenience store for the Society who has just celebrated 9 years of consecutive growth in its Annual General Meeting held at the end of April.

The store will open 7am to 10pm 7 days a week and will offer a very comprehensive range of fresh meat, chilled food, greengrocery and every day grocery lines. It will also stock traditional baked bread from Peacocks Bakery, its own special brand of pork sausage and it well known range of Fairtrade products.

Food Operations Manager, Brendan Smith said

‘We are very pleased to be able to bring the Co-op brand to the area. Initial response has been tremendous and we look forward to not only being of service to but playing our part in the local community”.

The store was launched by Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive Officer, Deputy Vice President, Jean Goodridge, Store Manager Nigel Stewart and teachers and children from the East Tilbury Infant School.

Spring/summer fashion show to benefit local charity

May 2007

Chelmsford’s ‘quadrant’ department store ran its 10th fashion show in aid of another local charity on Tuesday 15th May, 2007.

On this occasion the store worked in conjunction with Farleigh Hospice and many of the models for the evening were actual nurses from the hospice.

The event was attended by Mayor Councillor Margaret Hutchon and Deputy Mayor Councillor Phillip Firth and compared by Sue Harrison breakfast DJ for Essex FM.

Tickets sold for £10 each and the show raised £1450 raised from door money and the sale of raffle tickets. Five lucky customers won between them £850 of gift vouchers kindly given by the stores fashion brands.

On the evening the audience saw an exciting spring/summer collection of the very best from over 24 major high street brands. This was supplemented by a peek look at what is on offer from the menswear department, a part of the show that was seriously appreciated by the audience at the last show!

The Environment - It’s our Social Responsibility

May 2007

Mid Essex Co-operative Society Chelmsford Star presented its third Annual Social Report to a receptive audience at its recent Annual General Meeting.

In this issue the Society covered major areas such as its innovative governance structure, remuneration, customer satisfaction, initiatives in membership, a three year strategy for the development of its staff and its planned provision towards a more sustainable future.

Recognising the impact its operations on the local environment in particular, the Society during 2006 published both an environmental and energy policy. The environmental policy covered areas such as to:

a) Reduce waste by sound waste management procedures. b) Promote environmental awareness amongst staff from a specific training programme to be introduced in June 2007. c) Commit to purchasing electricity from renewable sources through the Co-operative energy consortium. d) To install energy efficient equipment wherever possible.

Barry Wood, Deputy Chief Executive said:

“It’s surprising when you put your mind to it just how many areas you can make savings in ultimately resulting on less impact on the environment. Publishing this Social Report certainly concentrates the mind on where we are going for the future Although a question we are probably all guilty of is why didn’t we start it earlier? However it is as they say better late than never.”

The Society has also just installed smart meters in all its food stores as part of its energy management programme.

Braintree ‘quadrant’ department store gets stylishly exclusive

May 2007

Following the success of the recent relaunch of its flagship department store in Chelmsford, independent Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star has just spent some £250 000 upgrading its 38 000 sq ft Braintree branch.

A major door to door questionnaire last August gave the Society a good insight into the local people wanted from a departments store enabling management to get a steer on the direction to take for the refit. They wanted a brighter more contemporary and stylish store offering a more defined range of ladies wear and the re-introduction of a menswear department.

The store has now the same look as Chelmsford with black and white branding, enhanced lighting and new window backs for controlled displays. Most of its departments have been relocated between the two floors enabling it to maximise its fashion offer on the ground level. Ten new concession brands have been added including CC, CC Petite, Emreco, Alice Collins, Great Plains, Jane Shilton Accessories, Bassini, Robell, Frandsen, and Habella. The new menswear department has been managed by Leonards and includes Frank Eden, Pierre Cardin, Daniel Hechter and more.

Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon commented;

‘We are 41% up year on year in our Chelmsford branch and fashion, despite difficult trading conditions has been 38% up. So with a much improved store overall we have high expectations for Braintree.’

The store was successfully re-launched on 5th May and early indications are that customer reaction has been extremely positive.

A New Direction for Braintree’s largest Independent department store!

April 2007

Local Co-operative Chelmsford Star has following the success of its Chelmsford quadrant department store since its revamp last spring, taken the opportunity to do the same to its Braintree branch.

Over £250 000 has been spent on this upgrade including a more contemporary signature black and white fascia. More retail space has been added onto the shop floor allowing for a complete change around of brands and departments through out the store. A local survey done the previous summer had indicated that the public wanted a menswear department and more up to date ladies fashion brands. So not to disappoint menswear now has a 1000 sq ft department and eight new ladies fashion brands have been added all exclusive to the area. They include top high street names such as CC, Alice Collins, Emreco and Jane Shilton Accessories to name but just a few.

The store also sells furniture, beds, flooring, textiles, Housewares, travel, foreign currency and mobility aids. It has an excellent restaurant called Brambles and a first class photographic studio both located on the first floor as well as the towns main post office.

On Saturday 5th May the store will officially relaunch at 10.00am with much festivity including the Frog Island Jazz band (playing New Orleans Jazz), Mamma la Terre ( Fat Mama character from the Notting Hill Carnival), Creole style food, face painting, balloon modelling, face mask making, free gift and a great competition.

Record Year for Chelmsford Star

April 2007

Local Co-operative, Chelmsford Star, which this year celebrates its 140th anniversary has reported record turnover and trading profit for its financial year ended 27th January 2007.

Turnover grew ahead of inflation for the 9th successive year to reach £55,301,947, an increase of 7.1% and trading profit grew to £895,109; a year on year increase of 21%.

Commenting on the financial results, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “the retail climate during the past year has been very challenging and competition has increased, but the Society has coped well, our flagship department store ‘quadrant’ has been a big success and this, together with our food business, has underpinned these excellent results”.

The Society has also produced its third Social Report covering issues as diverse as energy, the environment, fairtrade, the community and employees’ issues, which will be presented at the Society’s Annual General Meeting to be held on 30th April.

Commenting on the Social Report, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “the Society is much more than just another business and our Social Report gives a great insight into the Society’s values and social achievements”.

Finally, interest in getting involved with the Society has never been higher, with a total of 17 people standing for election to the Board of Directors, Membership Committee and Members’ Council. Election results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting.

Chelmsford Star Co-op Closes its Wickford Travel Centre Branch

March 2007

Mid Essex Co-operative Chelmsford Star is due to close the door for the last time of its Wickford Travel Centre, 14 The Willows, at the end of business on Saturday 24th March 2007.

The Society has had links to the Willows shopping centre for over 20 years when it initially took over the International store with a food store operation in 1986. Increasing competition in the town and the cost of rent to run two floor levels became prohibitive and the Society rebranded in 2002 in its ‘quadrant’ department store format which included a Travel Centre.

However in 2004 an empty unit became available on the parade and the Travel Centre pulled out of the department store and became a stand alone unit.

In 2005 a decision was made to close the department store once again due to increasing costs which left the Travel Centre as the Society’s only town centre presence although the food division by then had opened up a convenience store in St Peters Terrace.

Chief Executive Officer Tony Gudgeon said;

“The Society regret’s the closure of its Travel Centre at Wickford however trading in the last few years has become more difficult especially with the huge increase in web bookings. The store is just simply no longer economically viable for us to run.”

All current bookings will be transferred to the Society’s nearest Travel branch at 220 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford (01245 490290).

Is Braintree quadrant what every Man/ Woman wants?

March 2007

Local co-operative Society Chelmsford Star is to upgrade its quadrant department store situated in George Yard, Braintree.

Following an extensive research programme including a door to door survey to ascertain exactly what Braintree residents want; over £250 000 will be spent on revamping the aging store.

Barry Wood Deputy Chief Executive Officer said;

“We successfully upgraded our Chelmsford Store last April and decided that Braintree would also benefit from the same treatment”

The store will receive a new contemporary fascia; all non fashion departments (excluding Travel and the post office) will be re-located on the newly extended first floor. This will allow for an extension of fashion brands on the ground which will include exclusive in Braintree; CC (formally Country Casuals), Emreco, French Connection, Great Plains, Jane Shilton accessories, to name but a few. Meanwhile back by popular demand will be a menswear department offering at least 6 major high street labels including Ben Sherman.

Marketing & PR Manager, Vanessa Howard noted;

‘It’s time for the store to move up a level both in appearance as well as in brand offer”.

The Brambles restaurant on the first floor has already had its make over and has seen a sizeable increase in business even before the rest of the store is finished.

The Co-op goes bananas for Fairtrade Fortnight

March 2007

Fairtrade Fortnight (26th February to 11th March 2007) is now growing in awareness and Fairtrade products within the UK market are now worth £300m. However change is still not happening quickly enough for millions of the world’s poorest farmers who remain trapped in ‘trade poverty’.

Chelmsford Star Co-op did its bit to raise awareness by selling all its Fairtrade products with 20% off during the period. This included one of the biggest sellers Fairtrade bananas.

To add extra punch to bananas, the Co-op was visited on Thursday 1st March by a Fairtrade branded smart car and two characters (an ape and a banana man) who were giving away free Fairtrade bananas!

The Co-operative – Kings Road

February 2007

Local Co-operative Chelmsford Star is about to relaunch its largest Altogether Fresher convenience store into a new small supermarket format and rebranded as The Co-operative - Kings Road.

During a two week closure from the 2nd February, the Society is spending £225 000 on a major upgrade to the store including a new fascia, flooring, ceiling, fixtures and environmental friendly refrigeration.

The store is due to be relaunched on Friday 16th February at 9.00am by the Mayoress of Chelmsford and pupils from Kings Road school, who will together let off a large number of balloons to mark the occasion. The balloons will be tagged and the one that travels the furthest will win a £100 gift voucher to be spent in the store.

1000 Member of the Meadows Shop Mobility Scheme Welcomes 4 More Scooters

February 2007

The ‘quadrant’ department store and one of its concessions, Ashdown Mobility have between them donated the cash to enable the purchase of a further 4 mobility scooters for the Meadows Shop Mobility Scheme.

The scheme which has been running since 2003 is free to join and enables anyone with a walking disability to get around the town centre freely. The scooters are available from the Meadows Shopping Centre.

Mark Burden Departmental Store Operations Manager at the ‘quadrant said;

“There is a large demand for these scooters and we are only too pleased with Ashdown, to be able to do our bit towards making shopping easier for those with disabilities.”

The scheme has just welcomed its 1000 member.

Kings Road Co-op to get a major revamp!

February 2007

Local Co-operative Chelmsford Star is to spend £225 000 on a major revamp to its largest convenience food store in Kings Road, Chelmsford.

The store originally opened some 80 years ago in 1927 and over the time has received a number of changes with the last being in 1998 when it was rebranded as ‘Altogether Fresher’.

Following a door to door customer survey in the immediate area last July, many of the comments made have been taken into account and the store is due to be changed beyond recognition. This will include new fascia, flooring, ceiling, fixtures and environmental friendly refrigeration.

Food Operations Manager, Brendan Smith said;

‘One of the main issues from the survey was that the range just wasn’t big enough, so by changing the fixtures we aim to increase the range by 30% thus converting the store into a small supermarket.’

The Society is set to close the store from close of business Friday 2nd February and re-open on Friday 16th.

Chelmsford Star Co-op celebrates FAIRTRADE fortnight!

February 2007

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society took part in the national FAIRTRADE fortnight campaign between the 26th February and the 11th March 2007 with a special presentation evening held in the ‘quadrant’ department store, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford on Tuesday 27th February.

Over 70 guests including the Mayor of Chelmsford listened with interest to presentations from a number of eminent speakers including Malcolm Burgess, Chairman of the Chelmsford FAIRTRADE campaign, Elizabeth Willington from Traidcraft and Casildo Quispe, President of the Coinacapa Nut Gathers Co-operative in Brazil. The last speaker gave an in-depth picture of the hardships of producing Brazil nuts in Bolivia and how being offered a Fairtrade price has made a difference to the farmers. This brought home to all just why they should be supporting Fairtrade and he ended his speech to a rapturous audience.

The evening finished with FAIRTRADE food and wine tastings including a delicious FAIRTRADE chocolate cake and entertainment by local band ALONE ME.

Don’t Just Shop With us – help us shape our future!

January 2007

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star is currently on its annual quest to fill vacancies within its governance structure. This means that places will become available on the Board of Directors, the Membership Committee and the Members Council.

Now in its 140th year, and with a turnover of £53m, the Society is one of Mid Essex’s biggest employers with a workforce of over 550.

The strategy and direction for this ambitious organisation is determined by a board of 10 Directors, all of whom are elected by the membership.

Elected representatives come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are employed in commerce and industry, whilst others are now retired. However they all share three qualities– a belief in Co-operative Principles, common sense, and a desire to work together for the benefit of all members and the community.

Directors meet monthly in the evening with the Chief Executive Officer whose role is to guide and advise the Directors, and implement agreed policies. The Membership Committee meets every five weeks or so whilst the Members Council meet quarterly.

If you have enthusiasm, or experience in matters that could benefit other members, customers or the many communities in which the Society serves, this may be your opportunity to become more involved and make your ideas known.

Simply ring Rita Knott on 01245 216914 or visit our website www.chelmsfordstar.coop for more details.

Winter fashion show to benefit local charity

November 2006

Chelmsford’s ‘quadrant’ department store ran its 9th fashion show in aid of another local charity on Tuesday 14th November. On this occasion the store was working in conjunction with Barrow Farm, Riding for the Disabled who were celebrating their 30th anniversary.

The event was attended by Mayor Councillor Margaret Hutchon and Deputy Mayor Councillor Phillip Firth and compared by Sue Harrison breakfast DJ for Essex FM.

Tickets sold out prior to the show raising £1200 which the charity added to the sale of £300 of raffle tickets on the night. Three lucky customers won between them over £1000 of gift vouchers kindly given by the stores fashion brands and a fourth prize was donated by Newpalm Productions to see the Christmas Pantomime, Aladdin.

With real women, real sizes, stylish collections, 10% off on the night and all in aid of a local charity proved to be the right ingredients for a great night out.

On the evening the audience viewed an exciting autumn/winter collection of the very best from over 25 major high street brands including Jacques Vert, Viyella, Esprit and new editions Kaliko and Minuet. This was supplemented by a peek look at what is on offer from menswear, a part of the show that is always seriously appreciated by the audience at the show!

STAR CO-OP CONTINUES TO GROW

September 2006

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star is continuing its resurgence of recent years. Average weekly turnover has past the £1m a week barrier for the first time to reach £29.2m, a weekly average after 28 weeks of trading of £1,042,000, which compares to £983,000 a week at the same period a year ago.

Commenting on the turnover performance, Chief Executive, Tony Gudgeon stated:

“This is our 9th year of inflation beating growth, our new quadrant store in Chelmsford and our Altogether Fresher and Co-op Local food stores have led the way. The quadrant in particular and especially, our new fashion and furniture ranges have exceeded our expectations and have obviously been a big hit with the Chelmsford public.”

An interim meeting of members is to be held on 9th October 2006 to approve an interim dividend and to agree wide ranging changes in the way the Co-op is governed.

Tony Gudgeon further stated:

“Our governance reforms are really exciting and, if approved, will offer more opportunities for local people to get involved in what is their Co-op.

Further business expansion is also planned with an announcement to be made at the interim meeting.

Commenting on prospects for the full year, the Directors’ Report states that the Society is very optimistic that it will once again achieve its business goals.

It’s no longer at squeeze at Melbourne Co-op

September 2006

Chelmsford Star Co-op opened a small convenience store on Melbourne parade in July 2005. With just over 1000 sq ft of space it tried its best to accommodate the offer requirements of the locals but this meant restricted aisle space. This made it difficult for wheel chairs and child buggies to get around the store which resulted in a visit from the Chelmsford Area Access Group.

Although the store was a massive success the Society was greatly concerned not to disadvantage any of its customers and took steps to acquire the store next door when it became vacant.

With building work now complete the combination of the two stores has increased space by 50% which has enabled the aisle widths to be much more adequate.

Food Operations Manager Brendan Smith said;

“Although wheelchair bound customers couldn’t get around the store before our staff would assist by getting them their shopping however our new store layout now gives customers the freedom to manoeuvre around the store themselves restoring their independence.

I would also like to thank our staff and customers for their understanding during the building works but think that we now have a shop that everyone can be proud of and one that will encourage even more customers for the greater good of the entire parade.

The Society officially celebrated the relaunch on Saturday 16th of September with free food tastings, candy floss, hot popcorn, and a face painter.

Customers who attended the re-launch were all impressed with their new-look store.

Regular customer and wheelchair user, Ray Brazier commented that “the staff are excellent, I can now get into the store in my wheelchair and the staff are still willing to help.”

Mrs Joan Roche from the Chelmsford Area Action Group said “lots of people with buggies can now get around the store and there is now really good lighting, the store is brilliant!”

Winners of Mid Essex Business Award 2006 – 4 years in a row

September 2006

The Funeral Division of Chelmsford Star Co-op are celebrating a fourth win in the much acclaimed Mid Essex Business Awards, held at the Marconi Club, Great Baddow on Friday 22nd September, 2006.

Competition was fierce with over 400 local companies submitting an entry into eight categories and as usual, the hardest job was left to the judges to decide upon the winners.

The Funeral Division put themselves forward for the ‘Excellent Customer Services’ category for small companies, which they have been proud to have won for the past three years.

Funeral Services Manager Stephanie Butler said;

“I can not believe that we have won the Award again especially as we were up against such tough competition, including another local Funeral Director. It is however, an accolade to our staff who work so hard as a team to ensure that our clients receive the ultimate in care at a time of need.”

The Division has seen many changes in the past few years including a revamped website, introduction of a bi-annual newsletter, client survey, eco-friendly coffin and casket range, specialisation in pet funerals and continued growth of its much attended Bereavement and Aftercare Support Groups in Chelmsford, Braintree and Ingatestone.

The Quadrants New Restaurant

October 2004

The restaurant in Chelmsford Star Co-ops ‘quadrant’; department store has just undergone a major face lift and after closure for over 5 weeks is now back with a vengeance with a modern new look, could this now be the best restaurant in town?

Now rigged out in opulent shades of plum and cream, it has created a more spacious eating area and a fast selection point for those wishing to just purchase a snack.

Famed for its home cooked meals using local suppliers, and its delicious made scones and cakes this restaurant certainly panders for those looking for the authentic ‘just like mother used to make’. It has other little touches like children’s meals and changing facilities, and is now supporting Chelmsford’s fair trade committee by stocking fair trade products such as coffee, tea and preserves.

Terry Haggerty, the Society’s President said; ‘Applechex is one of our trading partners and we have substantially invested in this major development in order to offer the people of Chelmsford a more comfortable eating experience. It already has a very strong customer base and once more people find out about the delicious home made food backed up by the excellent, friendly service then I suspect that we will no longer be one of Chelmsford’s best kept secret.’ It doors open on Wednesday 22nd of September with a superb ‘In for a penny in for a £ ‘promotion, offering in its first week all unpackaged drinks for 1p and all main meals for £1.

The Mayor and Majoress of Chelmsford will officially open it on Friday 24th September when all are invited to join for tea at three. It is also pleased to announce that David Baker from Classic Gold Breeze will join the festivities and broadcast live from the restaurant for the afternoon.