SHOPPERS in Watchfield can waltz their way through the aisles of a newly-refurbished Co-op store in the village after a £350,000 revamp created six new jobs in the area.

Pupils from Watchfield Primary School had the honour of officially welcoming customers to the renovated Midcounties Co-operative Food store this week following the hefty investment - a move that was made to boost the local economy.

The improved store in Majors Road, which celebrated its refurbishment last week, includes a new food-to-go offering with a Costa Express and extended meal deal and hot food ranges to provide more choice for customers.

It has also expanded its ‘Best of Our Counties’ range, which showcases more than 90 food and drink products from local suppliers, including Arkell’s Brewery, Wadworth & Co and The Meat Joint.

The store also now has a wine expert on-hand to give shoppers guidance on selecting the best bottle, after store manager Mike Palfreman recently obtained the Wines and Spirits Education Trust Level 1 Award in Wines qualification.

Mike said he was thrilled to welcome pupils to the store to officially mark a new chapter in the company’s history and hopes that locals support the store into the future.

He added: “It was wonderful to welcome so many customers and the pupils of Watchfield Primary School through the doors, and we hope they will love the store improvements as much as we do.

“Sustainability is very important to us as a co-operative so we are really pleased that the new store has been designed with energy efficiency in mind. “

The store has welcomed six new colleagues to the team and it also features a modern new look with LED lighting and energy-efficient refrigerators to reduce emissions.

Mike added: “We were also able to extend the range of locally sourced produce we offer. Supporting businesses in the Wiltshire region and promoting great quality, locally-produced food is really important to us, and the refurbishment has enabled us to continue doing this by expanding our ‘Best of Our Counties’ offering with products from Wiltshire and neighbouring counties.

“We have so many fantastic local suppliers so it’s great that we are able to support them.”

The shop is open 7am to 10pm daily.