A Co-operative Food store in New Addington, Croydon, which was severely damaged by looters during August‘s riots, has reopened following a £540,000 refurbishment.
Opened again in time for Christmas, the store was ransacked by criminals and set alight when widespread civil unrest spread through London and down to the south of the city. Croydon was one of the areas of the capital most affected by arson attacks and looting.
More than a dozen Co-op outlets nationwide were forced to close following the trouble in the summer, but the reopening of the New Addington store means all its affected properties are now in operation once again.
Sean Toal, acting CEO at The Co-operative Food, said: “We are delighted that the New Addington store is back in business, and acting Store Manager Kenny Tyler and the store team are looking forward to welcoming customers back after what has been a testing time for the community.”
The impact of this year‘s riots on retail was severe, with professional services group BDO‘s High Street Tracker suggesting in September that August had been the worst month for the industry in two years.
It was estimated that the civil unrest, which affected many parts of the UK including Manchester and Birmingham, could have cost the retail industry up to £400 million in total through lost trade and damage repairs.
Sports specialist JD Sports admitted in a subsequent trading statement that it lost £700,000 worth of stock in the riots, while the owner of Currys and PC World, Dixons Retail, recently estimated the cost to its business was close to £4 million.
