Walberswick Food Store sold

Situated in the seaside village of Walberswick, the Food store, affectionately known as the Tuck Shop, was saved from closure by the East of England Co-op in July 2012.

Now, the village store has been purchased by local residents, and the day-to-day running of the store will be overseen by husband-and-wife Ben and Gaia Woolnough. For the past eight years, Ben has managed the popular Bridgefoot Stores in nearby Reydon.

Chief Property Officer, Stuart McDonald, at the East of England Co-op, said, “We’re very proud to have been the custodians of the Tuck Shop for the past 13 years and now is the right time for the store to be managed and run by the local community, for the local community. We have no doubt that Ben and Gaia will do a fantastic job and create a village store that will be much loved by both the villagers and the visitors to Walberswick.”

Ben Woolnough said, “We are excited about this opportunity to take over the Tuck Shop, keeping such a special store thriving in the heart of this unique village. Our vision is a long-term project: to always have good affordable essentials, but also to bring in other local suppliers of wonderful seasonal goods, village produce, and local artisan items.  We will work to support the village, be eco-friendly, reduce plastic, use green energy, and put new resources into village projects. 

“We want the Tuck Shop to evolve into a true community hub with the environment at its heart, and to bring joy and goodwill, as well as pasta and toothpaste.  It’s our mission to make the Tuck Shop both inclusive and delicious, ready to serve Walberswick at the start of the Tuck Shop's second 50 years.”

The sale process was managed by specialist retail property adviser Christie & Co. Lewis Last, Associate Director, added, “We are delighted to have supported with this sale process, which sees local and passionate operators, Ben and Gaia, successfully take on the running of the store. Interest levels were very high, but Ben and Gaia’s vision for the store was clear and quickly resonated with the East of England Co-op who share similar values. We wish Ben and Gaia every success as they now begin implementing their ideas, closely working alongside both store colleagues and customers.”

For further information on this press release, contact:
Jasmine Davis, Corporate Communications Manager
P: +44 7561 115179
E: jasmine.davis@christie.com

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