The business runs a number of food stores, funeral homes, pharmacies and travel agencies
Laycie Beck Senior Reporter
04:00, 03 Jan 2026
Chris Glover back in the Misterton store 27 years later(Image: Lincolnshire Co-op)
In Lincolnshire, if you want to do a food shop or visit your local pharmacy, book a holiday or organise a funeral, it is likely that you will be making a visit to one of the hundreds of sites run by the Lincolnshire Co-op. The county is home to one of the most successful independent consumer co-operatives in the UK, which is completely separate to The Co-operative or the Central Co-op.
With locations all over the county, and some in neighbouring areas such as Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire, the business trades differently from other retailers and is owned by its 300,000 members. It is also well-known for sharing cashback with its members and giving back to its local communities and charity causes.
Its headquarters are based on Tentercroft Street in Lincoln, and this is where people work behind the scenes to keep the business running smoothly. Chris Glover started out working part-time before becoming a retail apprentice almost 30 years ago.
Chris told Lincolnshire Live: “I started studying for A-levels and had a part-time job working for my local Co-op in my village at the time. I didn’t find A-levels really suited what I wanted to do, and there was an opportunity that came up with the Co-op at the time for a retail apprenticeship.”
He worked at the Misterton store, and progressed from store assistant to supervisor, and then managed a store in Scunthorpe before moving into a store development team. He was focused on opening new stores and carrying out refurishments, and is now a senior property projects manager in operational property, which means he now covers all of the different areas of trading.
(Image: Laycie Beck)
The 45-year-old said: “It’s not just food stores anymore, it’s refurbishing pharmacies, funeral homes, travel branches, and Post Offices. I have really enjoyed it, seeing different areas of the business I have not seen before and learning new things.”
He added: “I love changing things for the better. You go into a store that is ready for a refresh, and it’s a bit like Changing Rooms on TV, you get that same buzz seeing something go from what it is to something nice and new and shiny. The colleagues in-store really appreciate it as well.”
He shared that refurbishments will soon take place in Gainsborough, Bardney and Billinghay. Chris said: “Lincolnshire Co-op have really helped me grow throughout my time, not only in practical skills but also I have done lots of studies.
“I did a business management degree which the Co-op funded. Before that I did my apprenticeship and other courses. They have really helped my personal development along the way. When I moved to the Co-op it was because I wasn’t ready for that academic lifestyle and it didn’t work for me, but as I got older I found it was something I can do and I’ve managed to balance it with work as well.”
In December 2025 he returned to the Misterton food store “where it all started” to help out staff in the lead up to Christmas, and said it was great to be back and see some familiar faces.
Meanwhile, Ellie Thorpe is the head of people operations and started her career in 2009 after leaving school and joining the human resources team.
Ellie Thorpe(Image: Laycie Beck)
Ellie said: “It was by chance really if I’m honest. At the time Lincolnshire Co-op had a bit of a partnership with the secondary school and I was doing business studies as part of my A-levels. They had offered a summer placement to our business class.”
She completed the placement over the summer and then completed her final year of school whilst looking at a career in the Royal Air Force, but found they weren’t recruiting for the role she wanted. She found herself back with the Lincolnshire Co-op, completing admin roles in HR, and then found she “wanted to do this as a career”.
The 35-year-old explained that the business also funded her to complete an undergraduate degree in Business and HR and a Master’s degree in HR management. She said: “It’s fantastic. Not many organisations are willing to fund something like that because of the cost. It’s really a great feeling knowing that they see something in you and want to help you improve and progress.”
In her current role Ellie is responsible for a number of different areas, including employee relations, business partnering, reward and HR systems across the company. Ellie said: “I’ve been here 16 years so I think it’s a brilliant organisation to work for.”
She says that her favourite part is the people she works with, adding that: “Being a people professional, I like being around people, I like working with people and talking to people so working in HR is really good for that.”
Similarly, Sam Turner, community manager for the Lincolnshire Co-op, is also impressed with the company’s dedication to personal development and says she has benefited from a number of courses and training.
Sam Turner(Image: Laycie Beck)
The 51-year-old said: “One of the things that has been amazing is the support over the years for personal development. I did a degree apprenticeship which I was still doing during Covid. I only finished that four years ago.”
Sam started at the company in 1995 as a member services assistant, and was tasked with developing junior memberships, starting member groups and running local events. She was also part of the Dividend Card launch in 1998, which she described as a major project.
Reflecting on when she started out, Sam said: “I got offered a job on my 21st birthday. I went for the interview that day and because it was my birthday they rang me up at 6pm that night.”
She remembers going out that night to celebrate, and that it was a “really nice thing to do” in calling her the same day. Over the years she progressed in various roles, and is now focused on growing community work, and things that people “don’t necessarily see”.
This includes community champion grants, wellbeing walks, community cuppas, free health checks, colleague volunteering and free space projects. She said: “We have a number of projects that we deliver across the whole area.
The Lincolnshire Co-op headquarters in Lincoln(Image: Laycie Beck)
“It could be things like wellbeing walks, and we have over 90 wellbeing walks across our communities. We have community cuppas to try and encourage people to get out and talk to others.”
Sam added: “I’m really lucky in that I have actually stayed within a singular area of work and you might think that is boring but because we are always about what the community needs, that changes all the time and so do the people we are working with and the communities we are working in as we open new stores.”
She says that the company can “respond to things on a very local level” and last year they “raised about £450,000 for local groups and charities.” Sam says that she enjoys “hearing the stories from my team about how we have made a difference and the impact on people’s lives”, such as someone who was quite isolated joining a wellbeing walk and has become more social and active again.
Sam added: “We work really closely with our membership team in delivering member engagement activities as well, so our work to support communities goes hand in hand”