A new retail convenience store has launched under the Welcome co-operative brand in Taunton today – Wednesday, April 21. The new store will be open seven days a week, from 7am to 10pm.

The latest Welcome site, in partnership with Southern Co-op, follows a £300,000 investment in the Somerset town. Local convenience groceries including ethical and Fairtrade products, as well as a commitment to local communities is at the heart of Southern Co-op, the regional, independent co-operative, which has more than 200 stores in the south of England.

With a wealth of previous experience in convenience retail, store owner and franchisee, Dilan Patel, who is a former Taunton School pupil, worked closely with Southern Co-op to create the ‘mission-led’ store layout, encouraging ‘meal-for-tonight’ purchases.

Welcome Co-op Taunton will be Dilan’s fourth store, having previously worked in partnership with Southern Co-op in London and worked on a refurbishment of his father’s store in the Taunton village of Staplegrove.

Working with Southern Co-op’s format and development team, the team behind the new store has created a 3,000 sqft modern convenience supermarket with a food-to-go area including Rollover hot dogs alongside grab-and-go sustainable and ethical Smokin’ Bean Coffee and ‘Sir Lush’ slush machines.

The opening of the store has created nine jobs in both full- and part-time roles, providing a much needed boost for the local community.

Dilan and his team are committed to giving back to Taunton by looking at co-locating a Post Office within the new store as Dilan’s father is already sub postmaster of Post Offices in Staplegrove and Priorswood.

Dilan said: “Our focus has been to get the new store up and running as quickly as possible, ensuring we service the needs of our customers. The support we’ve already had from local people has been amazing. The addition of a Post Office inside our Taunton store, just off the high street, with parking available,  would make it easier for working people to access services, and they will be able to pick up plenty of deals at the same time!

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the finished store. It’s a fantastic working environment for staff and it’s great for customers. It’s been worth the investment and the hard work that’s gone into it and now hopefully we will see the rewards.”

The store has taken every step to make its customers’ shopping experience ‘Covid Safe’. The team will be conducting frequent Covid safety checks, Covid Audits and Covid risk assessments using a checklist built by experts.