A HORNCASTLE food store has re-opened after undergoing a £155,000 facelift.

Lincolnshire Co-operative food store in High Street, re-opened on Saturday, after five days of work.

The store now features automatic doors at the entrance and the aisle layout has been changed to make it more accessible to customers.

Fixtures and fittings have also been replaced, including the lighting and flooring.

The society is always looking to make new developments more energy efficient.

At Horncastle, new freezers have been introduced. They use LED lighting which lasts longer, uses less energy than normal fluorescent tube lighting and emits less heat. The freezers also have sliding glass doors to retain more energy.

The new fridges are also more efficient and are fitted with night blinds to reduce energy loss.

Chief executive Ursula Lidbetter said: "Investing in our services is part of the way that, as a co-operative, we return our profits to our members and their communities.

"We're pleased to be able to give our popular store in Horncastle a revamp because we know it's a really important facility for many of our members in the area."

The other ways Lincolnshire Co-op shares its profits are paying dividend to members and giving donations to good causes.

In 2007/8, the society paid out £256,000 in dividend to the 10,900 members in the Horncastle area.

Recent grants and donations have included £1,000 to Woodhall Spa Cricket Club to go towards refurbishment of the roof, £500 to the Horncastle Summer Market and £100 to Horncastle Community Playgroup towards new safety flooring.