The Co-op has opened six new “store within a store” concessions with fashion retailers Peacocks and Bonmarché, taking its total to 20 sites across the two brands. The concessions sit inside existing Co-op shops in England, Wales and Scotland, extending a partnership model that is a supply and retail-space arrangement rather than a franchise.
Peacocks has opened four new concessions in Cranleigh, Machynlleth, Kippax and Whitby, taking its Co-op total to 13 sites. Bonmarché has added two, in Lampeter and Shotts, bringing its own total to seven. Both fascias trade inside the Co-op’s own shops rather than as standalone units, stocking seasonal fashion, wardrobe essentials, nightwear, accessories and footwear alongside the Co-op’s food and convenience range.
Six sites across three nations
The new Peacocks concessions have opened in Cranleigh, Surrey, Machynlleth, Powys, Kippax in Leeds and Whitby, North Yorkshire. Bonmarché’s two new sites are in Lampeter, Ceredigion, and Shotts, North Lanarkshire. Sharron Lamb, retail director at Peacocks, said: “We’re so excited to open a further four Co-op concessions stores across the country, adding to the seven Peacocks stores we have opened this year, so far.”
A concession, not a franchise
The arrangement is a concession partnership: Peacocks and Bonmarché operate their own branded space inside a Co-op shop, rather than an independent operator buying into either fascia, one of several arrangements that get called franchising and are separated out in 10 key terms every UK franchisee should know. Kevin Buchan, head of partnerships at the Co-op, said: “Providing a home for Peacocks and Bonmarché inside the local Co-op enables them to bring their latest value fashion collections to more communities, at the same time providing a new store, employment opportunities and additional consumer choice, locally.”
Good to know
This is not the Co-op Group’s own franchise programme, which is a separate arrangement aimed at retailers with an existing convenience site, an entry route that turns on what an applicant already holds rather than on what they can raise, as being the right candidate to open a franchise sets out. The Peacocks and Bonmarché concessions are a retail-space partnership: neither Peacocks nor Bonmarché publishes a franchise offer for these sites, and there is no route for an individual to apply to run one.
Celebrity ranges and a wider fashion push
Both fascias are using the concessions to showcase collaborations alongside their core ranges. Bonmarché carries collections fronted by Lisa Snowdon and Lorraine Kelly, while Peacocks stocks ranges from Dani Dyer, Louise Redknapp and Michael Owen. Amanda Waterfield, Bonmarché retail director, said: “This new ‘store in store’ concept allows us to showcase our full fashion offering, including our latest collections and exciting celebrity collaborations.”
What the partnership means for the high street
For the Co-op, the concessions add fashion to shops that would otherwise sell only food, convenience and household lines, without the Co-op taking on fashion buying or stock risk itself. For Peacocks and Bonmarché, the model reaches towns and villages where a standalone shop of their own might not be viable. Both brands already operate the format at other Co-op sites, and this latest round takes the combined estate to 20 concessions, up from 14 before this announcement. Neither the Co-op, Peacocks nor Bonmarché has said how many further concessions are planned, though the pace of openings this year suggests the format is being expanded rather than trialled.
