Co-op confirms plans to quit town

The Co-operative Food store had been sold to the council

The Co-op has announced it will be closing its store in Castleford town centre.

It comes as the town undergoes a major £23m regeneration scheme aimed at boosting visitor numbers.

The retailer informed Wakefield Council it planned to shut the store on Carlton Street in July. The authority has agreed to take over the building.

A Co-op spokesperson said staff had been informed of the decision and were receiving support.

The building is opposite the former Marks & Spencer building which closed in 2023 and remains vacant.

The local authority secured £23m of government Town Deal funding for Castleford in 2019.

Much of the money is being spent on buildings and open spaces next to the River Aire and in the town centre, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Michael Graham, the council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic growth, said the council "work really hard" at keeping brands in the town but it was often a commercial decision the business had made.

“The work we are doing to regenerate the town centre is aimed at trying to reverse the trend of household names moving out as well as attracting new businesses back into the heart of Castleford.”

A spokesperson for the Co-op said the decision to sell the store had come after "careful consideration".

“We are pleased that the site will support Wakefield Council plans to redevelop and regenerate the area, improving it for the local community and the future of the town centre.

The Co-op building lies within the Heart of Castleford scheme, which aims to transform the area around Henry Moore Square into “one of Yorkshire’s premier public places”.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].