Co-op Goes Head-to-Head With Takeaway Giants: 15 New ‘On the Go’ Stores to Launch This Year
As the UK’s fast-food and convenience wars heat up, the Co-op is making an aggressive play for dominance in the “food-to-go” market. With a new fleet of small-format stores offering hot pizza, fried chicken, sandwiches, and home essentials, the retail giant is aiming to take on Greggs, Pret a Manger, and Subway—and it’s not stopping at lunch.
The first store under the new “Co-op On The Go” format opens in Solihull this Thursday, with 14 more set to follow in 2025, including five in London. These stores are designed to capture breakfast, lunch, and dinner traffic in high-footfall urban areas, and will also serve as micro-fulfilment hubs for evening deliveries.
“This isn’t a mini Co-op—it’s a complete rethinking of what fast, flexible, urban food retail can be,” said Matt Hood, MD of Co-op’s grocery chain.
A Bold New Format for a Changing Consumer
What’s Inside ‘On The Go’?
Each store is compact—between 600 and 1,000 square feet, around a quarter the size of a typical Co-op. Yet it’s densely packed with ready-to-eat meals, staffed hot food counters, and heated grab-and-go cabinets. Highlights include:
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Hot pizza, fried chicken, lasagne, and sandwich pots
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35 new proprietary Co-op food items, including “all-day breakfast meal pots” and smoked salmon-egg-spinach pots
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Daily essentials like toothpaste and toilet roll
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No cigarettes or vapes, distinguishing the brand from many corner stores
Opening hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., targeting the full commuter rush. After closing, many stores will convert into “dark stores”, supporting home deliveries through platforms like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Co-op’s own quick commerce app.
“Inspired by similar formats in Japan and China,” Hood said, “this model allows us to serve the breakfast and dinner dayparts more effectively, not just lunch, which we already dominate.”
Target: The Urban Professional and Commuter Crowd
With more than 2,000 existing locations, Co-op already commands a 15% share of the UK’s “food to go” market. The new concept aims to consolidate that lead in dense urban areas—and take market share from fast-casual brands that have struggled with rising costs and erratic footfall.
High Streets, Stations, and Delivery Zones
The first wave of stores will be placed on high streets, but Co-op is eyeing transport hubs like train stations next. Some existing Co-op locations in busy areas may also be converted into On The Go stores, while others may be hybrid sites supporting both walk-ins and delivery fulfilment.
“The model lets us flex across location types,” said Hood.
“Where some players see challenges, we see optionality.”
A Recovery Story After a Major Cyber Crisis
The launch comes as Co-op completes a recovery from a major cyberattack that crippled parts of its supply chain earlier this year. The attack affected product availability, led to significant data theft from all 6.5 million members, and created a PR and operational crisis for the mutual-owned retailer.
“It’s not something I’d wish on anyone,” Hood acknowledged.
“But we’ve come out stronger, more agile, and more secure.”
While in-store availability has returned to normal, Hood noted that “a lot of work is still going on behind the scenes” to harden systems and future-proof operations.
Strategic Differences From Competitors
Co-op’s new format differentiates itself from the likes of Greggs and Pret in several key ways:
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Broader product mix: Greggs is focused on baked goods; Co-op adds alcohol, household goods, and full meal kits
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Omnichannel integration: Few competitors offer the delivery reach or dark-store capabilities Co-op is building
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No reliance on baked-only categories, which suffered during recent heatwaves that kept consumers away from hot food
“We’ve seen continued growth in our food-to-go business, especially sandwiches and coffee,” said Hood.
“We’re not seeing the softness others are. This format is designed to scale into that demand.”
Human Capital and the Staffing Question
As retail automation grows, Co-op continues to experiment with single-worker stores, despite some internal pushback from employees concerned about crime and safety. Hood emphasized that only fewer than 100 locations operate this way and that it’s about keeping stores open in challenging conditions, not cost-cutting.
“I’ll continue to look at every way I can to keep shops open and communities served,” he said.
Staffing at On The Go stores will be more robust, particularly during peak periods, to support food handling, delivery coordination, and customer service.
Market Timing: Smart or Risky?
The launch comes amid industry uncertainty. Greggs recently reported a drop in profits, citing weather-related declines in customer volume. Some analysts question whether now is the right time to bet big on takeaway food.
But Hood is confident. He says Co-op is not chasing fads—it’s leveraging a data-backed insight into evolving consumer behavior.
“Consumers want speed, variety, and quality. That’s the formula we’re executing.”
Reinventing the Corner Shop for the Digital Age
The On The Go format signals a new chapter in the UK convenience retail story. As traditional supermarkets scale down and online delivery ramps up, Co-op is crafting a hybrid model built for modern city life—one that sells breakfast at dawn, delivers dinner at dusk, and doesn’t need 3,000 square feet to do it.
If successful, this move could reframe the UK’s perception of Co-op—from a legacy brand to a tech-enabled, urban-focused food disruptor.
In a crowded and pressured market, agility wins. And right now, Co-op is moving fast.
