9 October 2023

Bus service for shoppers affected by fire damaged store

The wheels have started on a free shuttle bus in Denmead to help local shoppers whilst the village convenience store is closed.

Following a fire earlier this year, The Co-operative Food store has been closed whilst the extent of the damages were assessed and future plans agreed.

The regional co-operative Southern Co-op, which runs the Denmead store, recently took the decision for the store to undergo a full refit. It is expected to re-open by the end of the year.

Pete Treasure​, Southern Co-op's Retail Proposition Manager, said: "We're here for the local community and given the length of time the store will be closed, we wanted to provide a solution to those who may not be able to easily get to another store in the interim.

"We're currently running the free bus service for the next four weeks to our store in Clanfield which has a comparable range of products as well as access to a Post Office.

"Hopefully people will use the service which offers a more sustainable alternative to using separate vehicles. The four week trial will allow us to see how many people use the service."

The service, introduced by working closely with Denmead Village Association, will operate three times a week on a first come first serve basis. There will be 16 seats available.

Monday: 10am pick up from bus stop outside The Denmead Practice

Thursday: 2pm pick up from bus stop outside The Denmead Practice

Saturday: 10am pick up from bus stop outside The Denmead Practice

The bus will leave Clanfield and return to Denmead after an hour. However, if all customers have completed their shopping before then, it will depart sooner.

To find out more about Southern Co-op and its nearby stores, visit https://southern.coop/store-locator.