A POP-UP shop has opened in a York village to help see the community through the Coronavirus epidemic.

Costcutter has opened a new pop-up shop in the village of Fangfoss, to ensure local residents have easy access to everyday essential items.

Previously located in nearby village of Dunnington whist the existing Costcutter store underwent an extensive refurbishment, the pop-up shop has been relocated to The Carpenters Arms carpark on Highfield Lane, to provide a convenience provision for the village.

Costcutter - which has its head quarters in Dunnington - has worked with portable retail specialist Rapid Retail and the pop-up will offer a core range of essential products, including store cupboard staples, fresh and frozen goods, and beers, wines and spirits.

Three new staff members have been appointed to help run the store, which will be open between 10am and 5pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 2pm on Sundays. In line with Government guidelines, social distancing measures will be in place and the store will operate a one-shopper-in, one-shopper-out system. It will also offer home delivery on orders for elderly and vulnerable customers, working alongside Fangfoss Parish Council.

Mike Hollis, Retail Director at Costcutter said: “The pop-up shop proved to be a really valuable resource for the Dunnington community and now that our newly-refurbished York Street store has reopened its doors, we have moved the pop-up shop to a new area which is very much in need of a convenience provision to help local people get their everyday essentials.

“The Fangfoss pop-up will provide a vital shopping service for the local community and our team are working hard to ensure that elderly and vulnerable customers are able to benefit from the store, with home deliveries where possible and allocated timeslots through the week.”

Pamela Broughton, who is co-ordinating the village volunteer support group, said: “The village is very excited about having the pop-up shop here. At this difficult time it is a tremendous boost that people can buy locally and minimise the risk. We have a large volunteer group supported by the Parish Council and St Martin’s Church and we are all very appreciative of the efforts that Costcutter have gone to to get the shop open and we are delighted to welcome them to the village.”

Nick Daffern, MD of Rapid Retail, said: “We’re delighted to have worked with Costcutter on this project. Aiding individuals and communities affected by the ongoing pandemic is crucial and for retailers pop up shops offer an effective solution. They can be quickly deployed and used in locations such as car parks or concourses, getting the essentials to those who need them most, while retaining the customer experience provided by static stores.”

Costcutter’s York Street, Dunnington store also reopened its doors this weekend (28th March), following an extensive month long transformation. Located in the village where the convenience store group began over 33 years ago and where its headquarters are still based, the store has been completely refurbished and offers a much wider range of fresh fruit and vegetables, a new food-to-go zone including a Smoking Bean premium coffee-to-go offer, an extensive range of chilled foods and meal options and over 1,000 Co-op Own Brand products. Whilst the store has the facility to offer hot food-to-go, during the unprecedented demand for bread at this time, the ovens are currently being used to boost freshly baked stock levels.

Mr Hollis said: “We want to thank the Dunnington community for bearing with us during our closure for the refurbishment work and hope they agree it has been worth the wait.

“We know that now more than ever the local convenience store is providing a much-needed hub for people to ensure they get the food and everyday essentials they need, as we adapt to the current situation and adhere to Government guidelines to help us all stay safe.”

Many Costcutter stores across the country – both company owned and those operated by the groups independent retailers – are offering a raft of support to shoppers during the coronavirus crisis, from offering free delivery to elderly and vulnerable customers, to call and collect orders for NHS workers.