The Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society, operator of the Co-op Food Stores of Hanover and Lebanon, NH, recently announced that it will open a fourth food store to be located in White River Junction, Vermont. The Co-op’s new store will occupy a space left vacant by the bankruptcy of Penn Traffic Co. of Syracuse, NY, operators of P&C grocery stores. This 15,000 square foot facility will be the Hanover Co-op’s fourth store within a 7-mile radius.
Hanover Co-op General Manager Terry Appleby gives a lot of credit to his staff for helping to keep the Co-op in a position of financial strength to take advantage of this opportunity. “Throughout the recession, the staff in all our locations worked to keep our co-op stable and healthy. We stayed profitable despite the recession and growing competition from chain stores, and now we are on solid footing to increase our service to members and customers.”
The Co-op plans to open its new store in late June of this year if all goes according to plan. Co-op Merchandising and Operations Director Tony White noted that Co-op personnel have been busy on this project for a number of weeks. “As soon as the Board of Directors gave management the thumbs-up, and we were confident that we had support from our neighbors at the Upper Valley Food Co-op right around the corner, our crew became very busy very quickly. The tremendous support from town officials and the property owners meant we could start doing work behind the scenes even before we had a signed lease.”
The new Co-op will be one mile from the Upper Valley Food Co-op, a cooperative neighbor specializing in natural foods. Hanover Co-op Communications Director Allan Reetz foresees a continued balanced relationship between the two cooperatives. “As a shopper at both co-ops, I find each one serves customers in ways that are more complementary than competitive. Although there are some similarities in our product mix, I know I’m not the only who buys some things at the Upper Valley Food Co-op that aren’t found at the Co-op Food Stores and visa versa.” Reetz added that chain stores in the region have been trying to grab every available space, so this is another victory for cooperatives.
Terry Appleby noted that community outreach now becomes “job one.” “Every town is different. Our goal is to serve White River Junction and the surrounding villages with products to suit the wide range of customers who live there. We’ll be speaking directly with local residents and community groups to make sure the store we open carries products to match their tastes and budgets.”
The Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society was founded in 1936 and has more than 18,000 active members. The Co-op currently operates two full-service grocery stores, a community market, and an auto service center. Annual revenues for 2009 were approximately $65 million.
For more information contact Allan Reetz at 603-640-6503 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
