Retailers on the front foot
THE Manchester-based Co-operative Group has invested £400,000 in its second food store in the city centre.
The new 1,700 sq ft convenience store in Piccadilly was opened by former popstar National Lottery host Duncan James. It is part of a £19m investment in the North West, which includes upgrading and rebranding 65 shops.
The new shop has a huge catchment – Station Approach is used by an estimated two million people each year.
Tim Hurrell, managing director of food retail at the Co-operative, said: “The Co-operative’s food business goes from strength to strength and we’re pleased and proud to be opening a second store in Manchester city centre which, along with our Corporation Street store, will serve as an excellent showcase for our wide range of food and drink products.”
Meanwhile, Amplifon the hearing aid retailer, is driving growth with a new product launch after completing a £10m rebranding drive.
The £51m turnover company, the UK arm of listed Italian giant Amplifon, is targeting the corporate market with the launch of ‘be’, the world’s smallers hearing aid.
It is estimates there are more than 500,000 directors and senior managers suffering from hearing difficulties in the UK.
Enrico Vacca, UK marketing director of Amplifon, which operates 143 stores and 85 day centres, and has its UK headquarters near Manchester Airport said bosses in the North West and all executives of the 3,000+ stock market listed companies were being targeted.
He said: “Boardroom stigma about hearing loss is being eroded thanks to new designs of hearing aids which are changing the way people view hearing loss. Hearing aids have moved on since the days of ugly, banana shaped pieces of plastic and we are now seeing digital hearing aids that are literally invisible to the outside world.
“Impaired hearing, leads to social withdrawal, isolation and depression which is obviously bad for business.”
The ‘be’ hearing aid weighs just 1.1 grammes, including battery, and is nearly 30% smaller than the nearest rival product.
