Central England Co-op has officially opened its new store with a revamped forecourt in Stowupland, Suffolk, creating 20 new jobs and investing £1.4m in the area.

The Food Store, which is based in Thorney Green, offers shoppers an expansive range of products and is fitted out with pioneering new energy efficient refrigeration technologies to minimise environmental impact, LED lighting and a lifesaving defibrillator.

It has been built next to the co-op’s pre-existing petrol filling station, which received a makeover as part of the works.

There has been a petrol filling station in the location for more than 40 years. Previously it had a small kiosk shop, but that was demolished as part of the work to build a new much larger food store alongside the filling station, with 16 car parking spaces.

The filling station remained open with a small shop in a temporary cabin, while the new store was being built. The makeover to the forecourt ihcluded the addition of a new air/water machine and minor works to the pumps including decoration and graphics.