East of England Co-op reflects on 2025 including first fully cashless store launch at Ipswich train station

East of England Co-op reports underlying trading profit of £2 million for 2025, up £1 million from the previous year.

2025 highlights included opening its first fully cashless store at Ipswich train station, recognised as one of 25 ‘stores of the future’ worldwide by Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) 

Andy Rigby, Chief Executive Officer at East of England Co-op, says: “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 million.”

He adds: “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.”

James Norman, Chief Finance Officer at East of England Co-op, adds: “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 to the rest of 2026, Rigby says: “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.”

“I’m absolutely committed to serving our local community and I’d like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to the growth of our co-op throughout 2025. I’d like to specifically thank our members and customers for trusting us with your business and for your continued support - we really appreciate it and are proud to be of service to you now and in the future.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.