Heart of England Co-op to close six stores

HEART of England Co-operative Society is to close six local department stores.

Non-food stores in Atherstone, Bedworth, Nuneaton, Rugby, Leamington Spa and Hinckley will close.

The society reviewed its local sites after selling its Coventry store.

The society said more online shopping and an “increasingly challenging retail environment” made the non-food division “no longer viable”, the BBC reports.

Money saved as a result of the branch closures will be re-invested in profitable areas such as “food and funerals”.

A society spokesperson said: “The board has now taken the decision that, over the coming year, the non-food division will cease to trade.

“It is a decision which has by no means been taken lightly, however the retail environment has become increasingly challenging and this, coupled with the growth in online shopping, has meant that our non-food division is no longer viable as a business.”

The Coventry store will close on 24 October. The other six remaining store closures will be on a phased basis.