The Co-operative Group is to launch a fresh campaign to promote its legal services to food shoppers in its 3,000 supermarkets nationwide.

The news comes as the group, which aims to be one of the first alternative business structures, told the Gazette that it believes ‘the die is cast’ for legal services reform, no matter which party is in government at the next election.

The advertising campaign will see the Co-op’s legal services division promoted for nine weeks in a campaign that will include the use of in-store radio and animated till screen displays.

The group aims to increase awareness of Co-op Legal Services by 5%, matching the success of a similar campaign run last year.

Co-operative Legal Services managing director Eddie Ryan said the division had increased the number of solicitors and Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) staff it employs by a third over the past 12 months, and is continuing to recruit. It currently employs around 37 solicitors.

Ryan said he was confident that legal services reforms would press ahead, regardless of who wins the election. Comments made by the Conservative shadow justice minister Henry Bellingham last November had suggested that ABSs would be ‘one more assault on the high street solicitor’, with big names able to cherry pick more lucrative work.

Ryan said: ‘Having looked at the excellent work the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Legal Services Board have done so far, I can’t see the legal services reforms not happening… Ultimately, we want to be one of the first ABSs. But we have not yet made any hard and fast decision on which areas to expand yet.’

Jonathan Gulliford, sales and marketing director of Co-operative Legal Services, added: ‘The die is cast on ABSs. If there is a change of government, changing direction on legal services reforms will not be high on its agenda.’