{"id":915943,"date":"2026-04-24T18:41:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/915943\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T18:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:41:17","slug":"southern-co-op-stores-in-bristol-at-risk-of-closing-as-business-faces-administration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/915943\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Co-Op stores in Bristol at risk of closing as business faces administration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The company says it has made losses for the past three years\"The<\/p>\n

The company says a merger with the national Co-Op Group is its best chance for survival(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

A major UK supermarket chain has issued a stark warning that it faces potential collapse into administration, placing 13 stores in and around Bristol at risk of closing.<\/p>\n

Southern Co-op has revealed that three consecutive years of financial losses have pushed it to the edge of insolvency.<\/p>\n

The regional retailer runs over 300 outlets including supermarkets, funeral homes and coffee shops throughout southern England – all of which face potential closure unless a merger with the national Co-op Group proceeds.<\/p>\n

The organisation’s chair and chief executive have penned a letter to members explaining that the proposed merger represents their best chance of survival.<\/p>\n

Janet Paraskeva and Ben Stimson issued the correspondence to address the society’s situation following “a lot of speculation about the proposed merger” circulating online.<\/p>\n

“Southern Co-op has made losses for the past three years,” the statement reads. “Over the last year, trading has become more difficult, and we have relied on ongoing support from our banks and suppliers to continue operating. That support cannot now be increased within the time available.”<\/p>\n

They cautioned that should members reject the proposal to join the Co-op Group, the business will “most likely” face administration, which would “put jobs at risk, lead to the loss of stores and negatively impact our suppliers”, reports the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We know many members are asking whether there is another option.” the letter said. “We have asked the same question ourselves, repeatedly, over recent months.<\/p>\n

“The honest answer is that there is no solvent alternative available to us now which we could deliver in the time frame and without exposing the business to a much greater risk, and it’s important that we are clear about what this means.”<\/p>\n

The announcement follows a “malicious cyberattack” which hit the Co-op Group last year, which bosses said has also left the firm struggling.<\/p>\n

Executives revealed the company is expecting operating losses exceeding \u00a320 million in the upcoming financial year, and that measures including a recruitment freeze and reductions in office space have failed to generate sufficient savings to secure the business’s future.<\/p>\n

Southern Co-Op stores in Bristol at risk of closing<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, this week has seen high street fashion chain LK Bennett confirm it is preparing to close all of its stores following its collapse into administration.<\/p>\n

The retailer, famously loved by Kate Middleton, announced on Thursday that it will permanently shut all remaining UK locations within five days, with nine stores and 13 concessionaries to cease operating.<\/p>\n

LK Bennett was bought by investment firm Gordon Brothers in January this year, but the deal did not include its physical stores.<\/p>\n

Shoppers are now being offered up to 90 percent off its remaining stock. The retailer said in an Instagram post yesterday: “Only 4 days to go until we close our doors.<\/p>\n

“It’s your final weekend to shop 90% off all shoes and boots, with at least 80% off everything else. But hurry, when it’s gone, it’s gone, head in-store to shop while stock lasts.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The company says it has made losses for the past three years The company says a merger with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":915944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,748,393,4884,956,10299,39178,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-915943","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-north-somerset","13":"tag-south-gloucestershire","14":"tag-the-co-operative","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116461155607562125","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=915943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/915943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/915944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=915943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=915943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=915943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}