After five years, plans to open a new Co-op in Pontarddulais have finally been announced. The supermarket will be located in a building which has been described by locals as a "white elephant" after it remained empty years after the supermarket chain first announced its plans to move in.

The site is the former home of much-loved pub The King Hotel, which was demolished to make way for the new retail unit which then remained empty for some time. News first emerged that the Co-op was taking over the site in Pontarddulais in 2018 and a Co-op spokesperson previously told WalesOnline that the new store could be open by the end of 2020.

But three years later, in March, 2023, there were still no signs of the shop opening and a Co-op spokesperson told WalesOnline that decisions on plans for the store to open were yet to be taken. Now, WalesOnline can confirm that Co-op plans to open its Pontarddulais store early next year. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

The long-awaited Co-op store is due to open early next year
The long-awaited Co-op store is due to open early next year

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On October 18, the store announced, via a post on its Facebook page, 'Pontarddulais- Your Local Co-op', that it was accepting applicants for new positions in the store. The post said that applications were being processed through the Felinfoel store with a variety of roles available including in the in-store bakery.

Stacey Jones, who has worked for Co-op for almost 20 years and lived in Pontarddulais for more than 10, will be the manager of the new store. She said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to launch Co-op’s new Pontarddulais store and for Co-op to return to the village – we open early next year, and our aim is to operate at the heart of local life and make a difference in the community. We are currently working to develop the range, choice and added services to create a really compelling offer, locally and conveniently. This includes a focus on delivering member-value so that the people who own our business, our members, benefit every time they shop with us.”

The new 2,500 sq ft store will provide 12 local jobs and customer car parking. A spokesperson for Co-op said it would include fresh, healthy and chilled products, meal ideas, everyday essentials, food to-go, Fairtrade products, chilled beers and award-winning wines as well as ready meals, pizzas, free-from, vegan and plant-based products. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.

An espresso bar has also opened in another part of the retail unit where Co-op is due to move in. Coaltown coffee opened its new coffee shop in August this year less than a 20 minute drive away from its HQ and roastery in Ammanford. You can read more about that here.