Central England Co-op with stores in Terrington St Clement and Dersingham launches mass recruitment drive after coronavirus outbreak

Central England Co-op, which has branches in Terrington St Clement and Dersingham, is launching a mass recruitment drive for customer service advisors as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

The temporary roles on offer will include serving customers and replenishing stock. Three month rolling contracts are on offer and people must be flexible with shift patterns and locations. Recruitment is at the discretion of store managers and people should inquire in store for details. The drive is in place across many of Co-op's 242 food stores in 16 counties.

The retailer has also just launched an emergency food bank appeal to support its charity partners after they reported a major fall in donations at the same time as a spike in demand.

In addition it is placing a temporary limit of two of every product in its stores to help maintain stock levels.

Chief executive Debbie Robinson said: "We are asking our customers and members to be considerate to others at this uncertain time and shop responsibly.

“We are working hard with our suppliers to make sure that shelves are regularly re-stocked, as a community retailer we know how important it is for everyone to have access to good quality food and vital essentials."

Items needed for the food bank appeal include cereal, tinned food and fruit, tea bags, dried pasta, rice, long life milk, sugar, biscuits, fruit juice and squash, pasta sauce and instant coffee.

Donations will be collected up from Central England Co-op stores and used to create food parcels, which contain around 11 items and will provide at least three days’ worth of meals for those in need.

A dedicated online hub has also been launched by the Co-op to provide regular updates on the Society's response to the coronavirus, exact details on its work to help those in need in the local community and hints and tips for people affected.