A Bedale store re-opened last Friday following a £600,000 redevelopment at the hands of its new owner.

The former Quality Fare store at Market Court was one of those bought in August by the Rochdale-based United Co-operatives from Leathleys, which had built up a chain of 19 such shops around North Yorkshire, County Durham and Northumberland.

Opened almost three years ago on formerly derelict land behind the market place, the £1.2m Bedale store represented the first new-build by the Colburn-based Quality Fare, which had previously taken over and adapted existing premises.

Following its acquisition by United Co-operatives, the store has re-opened in new corporate colours at a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by senior representatives of the company.

They included chief executive Peter Marks, retail operations general manager Sean Toal, senior operations manager John Briddon and senior area manager Peter Ryan, who were joined by pupils from Mowbray School at Bedale.

United Co-operatives, the UK's largest independent co-operative society, has retained many local suppliers at the refurbished 10,000 sq ft store to help with established and new offerings which include a self-service "grab and go" hot food service, a salad bar, an improved fresh meat range and more chilled products.

The store, which will also sell electrical goods, is managed by Gary Hewitt, who worked for Quality Fare for eight years before he and his colleagues joined the United Co-operatives fold.

Bedale, the first shop to undergo refurbishment, is regarded as the flagship Quality Fare acquisition by United Co-operatives and the redevelopment programme will be progressively rolled out to other stores in the chain.

Former Quality Fare owner Ian Leathley now runs the House and Home business in his old store on the other side of the market place at Bedale.

Many years ago the Co-op had a store in Bridge Street, premises now a business selling pine, antiques and crafts.