Co-op has partnered with Eureka! The National Children’s Museum to launch a new interactive Play Shop aimed at teaching children about shopping, food and sustainability through play.
Located within Eureka!’s Living and Working Together Gallery in Halifax, the Co-op Play Shop is designed for children aged up to 11 and recreates a mini convenience store environment. Young visitors can role-play as shoppers using miniature trolleys and self-service tills, while also taking part in tasks such as shelf stacking.
The initiative forms part of Co-op’s ‘Access to a Sustainable Future’ social value commitment and is intended to help children and families understand sustainability through everyday shopping experiences.
Through signage and digital content in the Play Shop, visitors are encouraged to learn about reducing food waste, sustainable diets and energy use, with the aim of showing how small daily choices can have a wider environmental impact.
The attraction also features a series of videos narrated by pupils from Year 5 at Co-op Academy Beckfield, who will visit the museum to see the finished project. Co-op said the involvement of local schoolchildren was intended to create meaningful educational opportunities linked to sustainability and retail.
The Co‑op Play Shop encourages young visitors to take on the role of shoppers, choosing items from the shelves, using mini shopping trolleys and checking out at self‑service tills. Photo: Handout
Alongside the Play Shop, Co-op and Eureka! plan to deliver school and family engagement activities, including themed events and informal learning sessions focused on sustainability and careers.
Heather Thomas, group property and sustainability director at Co-op, said the partnership aimed to make sustainability “relevant and accessible from an early age”.
“Working with Eureka! allows us to bring those ideas to life in a playful and practical setting, helping children explore how everyday actions connect to the wider world,” she said.
Eureka! has welcomed families to its Halifax site for more than 30 years and attracts around 300,000 visitors annually. The museum focuses on hands-on learning experiences for children aged from birth to 11 years old.
Leigh-Anne Stradeski, Eureka! chief executive, said: “The Play Shop partnership reflects a shared commitment from Co-op and Eureka! to creating meaningful opportunities for learning, supporting social mobility and helping children build understanding through play.”
To mark the launch, Co-op members will receive 20 per cent off admission to Eureka! The National Children’s Museum until 23 October.