Co-Operative Swanage is one of two main supermarkets in town, where you’ll find all your everyday essentials, as well as seasonal goods, whether that’s beach & picnic supplies for a sunny day, or festive supplies for a cosy winter evening in by the log burner.
Ideally situated right next to Swanage Railway station and bus terminus, Co-Op is a handy shop for picking up everything you need for a day out in Swanage or setting off to explore the Purbeck countryside.
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Swanage’s Co-Op has been recently extended and renovated and now offers a wider range of food for residents, including a larger organic fruit and veg section, as well as better catering for the welcome influx of visitors in the summer months.
What’s in store
Co-Op Swanage has an in-store bakery and sells daily-baked French bread, specialty rolls, croissants and danishes as well as sweet treats such as donuts and cookies.
The shop stocks a wide range of general food items, so whether you want to buy some fresh meat or veg to cook up a meal from scratch or grab a ready meal for those evenings you feel like indulging yourself, you should find everything you need here. There’s also a good range of vegetarian and vegan options, both in the refrigerated and frozen sections, and a dedicated ‘free from’ section for customers with gluten and dairy intolerances.
You’ll also find a well-stocked wine and spirits section, and a select range of local products such as Dorset Tea. You can also grab an on-the-go Costa coffee while you’re here from the store’s machine.
Co-Op Swanage also has a handy ATM outside. There are a number of other cash machines in town, primarily along Station Road and High Street.
Festive favourites throughout the year
Stock up at Co-Op before heading off to one of the many festive events in Swanage’s calendar.
The store offers all the seasonal produce and supplies we’ve come to expect throughout the year, such as ready-to-go barbecue food and picnic essentials in the summer, along with food storage boxes, cool bags, picnic blankets and plastic glasses.
And over Easter, Halloween and Christmas, get ready to check out Co-Op’s selection of festive chocolate, sweets and decorations.
Opening hours
The Swanage Co-Op is open seven days a week as follows:
- Monday to Saturday – 8am to 10pm
- Sunday – 10am – 4pm
(Note that Budgens on Station Road stays open an hour later on Sundays, till 5pm.)
Deliveries & collection
Co-Op home delivery & click-and-collect services
Whether you live here or are staying in Swanage on holiday, you can take advantage of the Co-Op’s on-demand grocery delivery service.
Simply place an order online and it’ll be ready for either collection or delivery to your home or holiday let after two hours.
You can also ask for your shopping to be delivered even if you have bought your items in-store. This service is particularly helpful if you struggle with lifting heavy bags home. Simply speak to a member of staff who will be able to arrange your home delivery.
Amazon collection
The Co-Op also has an Amazon counter for collecting parcels.
If you’ll be out or at work, simply choose for your goods to be delivered to the store for safekeeping until you collect them.
Simply order online, choose the Swanage Co-Op locker at checkout, and once you’ve received your collection code pick up from the Amazon locker, located just outside the front of the store.
Location and parking
Directions to Co-Op
📍 52 Kings Road West, Swanage, BH19 1HP
Co-Op’s car park is central for the town and is handy for both doing your weekly shop and for a quick scamper on the beach or trip into town to access other shops and amenities, such as Nixon’s Hardware, the pet shop, Swanage Medical Centre, or for a quick coffee and catch-up.
You can access the car park via Victoria Avenue (one of the main roads into town), then turning right at the lights onto Rempstone Road and following the small roundabout around to Co-Op, past the Swanage Medical Centre, or via High Street, down Court Road and onto King’s Road West, where the Co-Op will be on your left just past St Mary’s Church.
The Co-Operative car park is also easily accessed from the main beach and areas of Swanage such as Durlston – note that part of High Street from this direction is on a one-way system.
Parking
There is a large short-stay car park at the Co-Op, where you can park for a maximum of two hours.
Car parking charges vary seasonally as follows:
1 April – 3 October
- One hour £1.20
- Two hours £2.10
1 November – 31 March
- One hour 60p
- Two hours £1.20
Parking is free after 7pm and before 8am. (Overnight camping/sleeping is not permitted).
If you spend over £10 in the Co-Op (excluding alcohol, tobacco and battery tickets) and show a member of staff your refund voucher you can get your parking money back.
Contact
Check Co-Op’s website for further information and to book an online delivery slot:
- 📞 01929 424333
- ℹ️ Supermarket information: www.coop.co.uk/store-finder/BH19-1HP/52-kings-road-west
- ℹ️ Online ordering: shop.coop.co.uk/?utm_source=finder.coop.co.uk
Nearby supermarkets and food & household stores
Stores in Swanage
Budgens
Budgens is Swanage’s other main supermarket. Located in the heart of town, half-way down Station Road, Budgens is handy for a variety of local produce and general household and grocery items.
You can use the Co-Op car park or the Mermond Place car park, which is located above and behind Budgens up a short flight of steps (between Albury & Hall estate agents and the Well Pharmacy). Wheelchair-users can also access the store from this car park via Mermond Place by following the road from the entrance to the car park.
Budgens is open daily from 7am – 10pm, except on Sunday, when opening hours are 11am – 5pm.
Independent shops
Many locals and visitors use the big town supermarkets to supplement locally-sourced ingredients and household supplies from Swanage’s range of independent shops.
A small selection of these family-run and small businesses include:
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- Chococo – Artisan, handmade chocolate shop and café using primarily locally-sourced ingredients www.chococo.co.uk
- Pet Luv – Your local pet store sells all the popular pet foods such as Royal Canin, James Wellbeloved and Science Plan, along with a range of pet bedding, toys, health & hygiene products, collars and leads. Home delivery is available by calling: 01929 426227
- Buffmonger – Vegan cosmetic store tucked away down Commercial Road www.buffmonger.co.uk. You might also be interested in the Bare Necessities shop in Wareham
- Nixons – A handy home hardware store selling everything from diy supplies to gardening tools, kitchen appliances, decorating supplies and beach chairs
‘Out of hours’ food shops
Being a seaside town means that Swanage doesn’t have the 24-hour supermarket facilities of larger towns and cities, but there are a range of smaller shops and convenience stores that stay open later in case you unexpectedly run out of basic essentials, or need to grab a bottle of wine or snacks for your evening in.
Try the following shops in and nearby to Swanage for daily essentials such as bread, milk, store cupboard supplies and confectionary:
- Spar – There are two Spar shops in Swanage – one on High Street near the Black Swan Inn and one within the Texaco petrol station on Victoria Avenue, (open daily between 6am – 10pm & 6am – 11pm respectively)
- The Lookout – Lookout Stores in Stoborough, on the Corfe side of Wareham is open every day between 7am – 8pm
- Corfe Castle Village Stores – The village shop in Corfe Castle is open daily (including its post office) between 8am & 6pm and 9am & 6pm on Sundays
- Spar – The small Spar shop at the Murco petrol station in Harman’s Cross opens Monday – Saturday from 7am till 8pm, and 8am – 8pm on Sundays
- Studland Stores – Studland village’s shop is open every day from 8am, closing at 6pm weekdays & Saturdays and until 4pm on Sundays
Supermarkets further afield
If you’re arriving to Swanage via Wareham, Poole, Bournemouth or Dorchester there are a range of further supermarkets in and around these larger towns, so you can stock up en route to Purbeck, or do a shop whilst exploring somewhere new.
Nearby Wareham has a good-sized Sainsbury’s and a smaller local Co-Op. There’s a Waitrose and large Tesco in Dorchester, a Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury’s and Lidl in Poole and a range of options in and around Bournemouth town centre.