Tamworth Co-operative Society is to move its headquarters from the former department store in the town centre to an ‘apt’ new home across the street.
The Society’s head office and its Bereavement Advice Centre will be based in the old Co-op Bank premises in Colehill.
Tamworth Co-operative Society’s HQ is on the move from its location at the former department store (pictured) to new premises.
Chief executive Julian Coles is hopeful that the move will be completed during the spring. He says the Tamworth Co-op will remain an integral part of the town, despite it no longer owning the department store building which will form the centrepiece of a major regeneration scheme.
“This is an exciting development for us as it means that we will continue to have a presence in the town centre for our administrative headquarters.
“We are targeting April to complete the move, but for a short period we will operate from a temporary base outside the town centre.
“Unfortunately, we will not be able to admit visitors at our temporary home as we will not have any form of counter service there. However, the full service will resume when we move to our permanent home.
“Our new HQ, which is nearing completion, will offer improved access and facilities, with members’ services being on the ground floor.”
Mr Coles added: “The Society will now be able to focus fully on its food and funeral divisions. They have been the strongest parts of our offering for several years now, not just in Tamworth town centre, but across many of the outlying areas.
“Our business structure has changed purely because of changing shopping trends and demands. We kept our department store open long after the closure of many similar stores across the Midlands. However, while other areas of our operation performed vibrantly, the department store consistently struggled to break even because of market factors.”
He gave a reassurance that although the department store has closed, Tamworth Co-operative Society is still very much open for business.
“The Society is in robust, financial health and concentrating on our two core areas is undoubtedly in the best interests of our customers, members and staff.
“We are proud of what we have achieved in our food and funeral divisions in terms of improving facilities. This progress has not gone unnoticed by the public. The feedback we have received has been extremely positive. We will continue to invest in these areas in addition to maintaining our significant property interests.”
The Society can be contacted on 01827 63711 (extension 1232) between 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday, for all enquiries regarding membership, share accounts and dividends, or by emailing askus@tamworth.coop. Any postal correspondence sent to 5 Colehill will be forwarded to the temporary address.
More information about the regeneration scheme is available from Tamworth Borough Council’s website.