East of England Co-op has reported £2m underlying trading profit for 2025, up £1m on the previous year in what it calls the “most challenging year in retail”.
In its annual report for 2025, the East of England Co-op highlighted a 25% reduction in Co2 emissions, the support of 775 community groups and local charities through its community programmes, the opening of its first fully cashless store at Ipswich Train Station and five new food sites.
Reflecting on 2025, chief executive officer Andy Rigby, said: “Over the 45 years I’ve been in the retail business, last year was one of the most challenging I’ve experienced in the food retail space. But, against the odds, we’ve delivered an underlying trading profit of £2.0m.”
He cited the cyber attack on the Co-op Group as one of the major challenges of the year. “We were faced with the impact of the cyber incident on Co-op Group, affecting deliveries to our stores, however our incredible local suppliers and colleagues came together brilliantly to minimise the impact to our customers. The way we weathered this storm to deliver a 100% increase in profit is testament to our resilience. We’re a proudly independent local retailer, deeply committed to serving communities in the place we call home, the East of England.”
Chief finance officer James Norman added: “We’re operating in a difficult retail trading environment. This is a nationwide challenge driven by rising operating costs in areas such as business rates, employment costs and energy prices as well as global economic uncertainty.
“We’ve worked hard this year to offset these challenges with measures such as careful investment in our property portfolio and a continued strategic focus on the right products in our Food business.”
Looking ahead, Rigby outlined its strategy for the rest of 2026. “The strategy we’re following is working and we’re going to keep focusing our investment where we see the greatest long-term impact. This includes supporting new store openings, further investment in our existing sites, and bringing forward new innovative business ventures.
“A key priority for us next year will be expanding and evolving our membership proposition, focusing on delivering a more personalised offer that truly benefits our current members as well as attracting new ones.”
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