Co-op and Eureka! Launch Interactive Play Shop to Teach Children About Sustainability and Everyday Shopping

Co-op and Eureka! Launch Interactive Play Shop to Teach Children About Sustainability and Everyday Shopping

(IN BRIEF) Co-op and Eureka! The National Children’s Museum have launched a new interactive Co-op Play Shop in Halifax designed to teach children about shopping, sustainability and food choices through role-play and hands-on activities. The installation allows children to experience supermarket-style environments while learning about reducing food waste, energy use and sustainable living. The partnership also includes educational events, school engagement programmes and family activities focused on sustainability and social learning. The launch is being supported by a discounted admission offer for Co-op members valid through October 2026.

(PRESS RELEASE) MANCHESTER, 15-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Co-op has partnered with Eureka! The National Children’s Museum in Halifax to launch a new interactive Co-op Play Shop designed to help children learn about shopping, sustainability and everyday life skills through hands-on play experiences.

Located within Eureka!’s Living and Working Together Gallery, the newly branded installation invites children up to the age of eleven to take part in role-playing activities inspired by real-life shopping environments. Young visitors can browse shelves, use miniature shopping trolleys, operate self-service checkouts and take part in simple retail tasks such as stocking shelves, creating an immersive learning environment that reflects everyday experiences in supermarkets and local stores.

The initiative forms part of a wider collaboration between Co-op and the museum aimed at combining play-based education with practical lessons around sustainability, food choices and community engagement. Through interactive displays, signage and digital content, families are encouraged to explore issues such as food waste reduction, energy use and sustainable diets in ways designed to be understandable and relevant for children.

As part of the project, a series of educational videos featured within the Play Shop includes voiceovers recorded by pupils from Year 5 at Co-op Academy Beckfield. The pupils will later visit Eureka! to experience the installation firsthand, helping reinforce the project’s educational and community-focused objectives.

Co-op said the partnership aligns with its broader social value commitment known as Access to a Sustainable Future, which focuses on improving understanding of sustainability and encouraging positive behavioural habits from an early age. The company hopes the Play Shop will help children better understand how everyday decisions can contribute to wider environmental and social outcomes.

In addition to the permanent installation, Co-op and Eureka! plan to organise a programme of school visits, themed events and family engagement activities focused on sustainability, careers and community learning. These activities will build on Eureka!’s longstanding educational approach centred around learning through play and collaborative family experiences.

Heather Thomas, Group Property & Sustainability Director at Co-op, said the partnership was designed to make sustainability more accessible and relatable for children by connecting environmental ideas with familiar day-to-day activities.

Eureka! Chief Executive Leigh-Anne Stradeski said the project reflects a shared commitment between both organisations to support social mobility, learning opportunities and child development through interactive experiences.

The project was delivered with support from several partners, including Sign Solutions, which provided British Sign Language interpretation for the educational videos, along with CTS and Omega Signs, which contributed to the installation process.

To mark the launch of the partnership, Eureka! is offering Co-op members a 20% discount on admission to the museum until 23 October 2026. The offer is available through Eureka!’s online booking platform using a dedicated promotional code.

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum has operated in Halifax for more than three decades and attracts approximately 300,000 visitors annually. Since opening in 1992, the museum has become known for its immersive educational exhibits and child-focused interactive learning spaces. The organisation expanded further with the launch of Eureka! Science + Discovery on the Wirral in 2022.

Co-op, meanwhile, continues to position itself as one of the UK’s largest consumer co-operatives, operating across food retail, funerals, insurance and legal services, with more than 7 million member-owners and a nationwide network of retail and service operations.

Media Contact:

Victoria Simons
Senior PR Business Lead
Email: pressoffice@coop.co.uk
Phone: 07974103312

SOURCE: Co-operative Group Limited