What roles do data, insight and experience play in getting the proposition right?

There are lots of touchpoints with young people across our Co-op that we can learn from, including knowledge from our 2,400 stores, festival stores and Co-op Live. We talk to our campus partners to understand what’s different and unique about each site. Key considerations include the store size, whether it’s located in a residential or learning centre within the campus, city centre or isolated self-contained campus, what’s the international makeup of the campus, the split of home and residential students, cultural mix, direct and indirect competitors. One trend that’s really gathering pace in the sector is more students commuting and adapting to the implications of fewer staying on campus.

We love data, it drives a lot of what we do, and it is our leading convenience expertise, insight and data which our partners value, but sometimes you don’t always have the data, but there’s logic, our learnings and relationships – then you try it, and then you’ve got the data.

What are the unique opportunities arising from serving this specific life-stage?

By September 2026, our campus stores will be serving 350,000 students. One thing that’s unique about university stores is every year, 25%-30% of shoppers are replaced with new young people. They experience our brand for three or four years, supporting themselves for the first time in most cases. We hope this positive interaction with our brand sticks with them as they go out into the wider world. Going to university is perhaps the biggest step many of these students will have taken so far in their young lives, and as a trusted brand, Co-op is there to support them. At the same time, Co-op is very keen to attract young customers; it is a chance for students to learn more about the benefits of Co-op membership - these are the young members of tomorrow. 

From a brand perspective, these are also really valuable environments, a window into the future and an audience who are hard to get hold of. This Freshers we went bigger than we have done before with activations. We are talking to brands about how we can work together, to really maximise our partnerships here.

What are some of the key differences at university stores?

One of the main differences is sheer transaction count, as university franchise stores occupy the top three positions across the estate. It’s further concentrated with the on-the-hour tsunami of students descending in-between lectures. The solution is simply very high numbers of self-scan tills and circulation space to soak up the peaks and deliver a highly efficient - quick and easy - service experience.

Campus stores are Co‑op’s highest performing food to-go locations, and a wide variety offering extends choice throughout the day for frequent customers. Department and category mix display significant differences e.g. alcohol and tobacco sales are materially lower than the wider convenience market. Additionally, the mix within those categories and many others is distinctly different too. To meet these needs we currently have nearly 20 categories with university specific ranges.

Finally, there’s a greater call to cater for a wide range of dietary requirements be they for religious, cultural, health, ethical, country of origin or lifestyle reasons and as you would expect students are always at the forefront of food trends.

At its heart the solution is simple; understanding the unique needs of campus life and creating a quick and easy shopping experience – with a store acting as a community hub on campus. Co-op has a focus on quality, ethically sourced products and value delivered without compromise and that resonates strongly with this conscious consumer base.

Co-op learns from our university franchise stores. We introduce additional range, acting as a test bed and taking those learnings and filtering them back into the main estate. Products like the Rollover Halal Chicken Dog were in university stores first. Seasonality is another big difference, universities are very quiet or even closed during food retail’s bumper seasonal trading days. We tailor our approach to recognise these trading patterns.