A newly developed Co-op has opened in Bridge of Allan following a £5m investment.
In its previous incarnation, the Co-op was located in a converted garage, which was knocked down and replaced with more than 10,000 sq ft of retail and back-of-shop space across two floors.
The works began in June 2024 and Co-op worked closely with the local community to ensure their needs were met. This included providing a temporary store, as well as an ATM and online delivery throughout the majority of the project.
The building uses materials that are in keeping with the local area and, behind the scenes, new facilities provide for colleague wellbeing, enhanced storage and warehousing to promote product availability and resilience.
The new store, which supports more than 20 local jobs, includes Costa Coffee Express and hot food – including a serve-over counter by Fife-based Stephens Bakery. Other added services include parcel collection, key cutting and a photo booth, with a free-to-use ATM providing access to cash in the community.
Fresh and healthy produce is a major focus, alongside meats and dairy, meals for tonight, food to go, fresh flowers, and alcohol.
Customer car parking has also been enhanced, with resurfacing work and additional spaces created by Co-op, and EV charging also set to be introduced after launch. Ownership of part of the car park will be returned to Stirling Council.
Andy Baird, Co-op’s Divisional Operations Director, said: “We are delighted to invest in Bridge of Allan – the whole team is excited to now be welcoming the community into their brand new Co-op, the new store looks fantastic.
“We are so grateful for all the support from the community throughout the works. We have invested to develop a store for Bridge of Allan which is fit for the future, our aim is to have created a hub contributing to local life and meeting the needs of our community and visitors to the area.”
