The mutual is to invest £3.5m in expanding academies from 12 to 40 over three years with a plan to take over failing schools in the north of England. Total sales remained stable at £9.5bn as sales at its established grocery stores rose 3.4%. Grocery sales were flat at £7.1bn after dozens of larger stores were sold. He said that a big expansion into schools was part of showing how the Co-op did things differently. It is our chance to help in an areas that needs a lot of care.”The Co-op took on its first academy in Manchester in 2010 and now also runs schools in Leeds and Stoke.

Source: The Guardian April 06, 2018 13:18 UTC