Co-op UK
Encyclopedia
The United Kingdom
is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 3 million individual members. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers'
shop in the northern English
town of Rochdale
in 1844.
Co-operatives UK is the central membership organisation for co-operative enterprise throughout the UK. This is a co-operative of co-operatives: a co-operative federation. Most kinds of co-operatives are eligible to join Co-operatives UK.
The largest and most recognised part of the UK movement are the many consumers' co-operatives. They are co-operative
businesses run for the benefit of their customer members. Of these co-operatives, the largest sector is food retailing, though they have a significant presence in other sectors such as travel agencies and funeral director
s.
The late 20th and early 21st centuries have seen a gradual exit by these businesses from the non-food retailing market.
Many co-operatives (by convention known as co-operative societies) started out in a single village
, town
or city
usually with just a single store. Here, members would be customers of the society's trading location and the society would reward these members with a proportion of any profits based on that member's spending with the society, or a dividend
. This is a fundamental difference between a co-operative and a joint stock company
.
Most societies were small, and by 1900, there were 1,439 co-operatives covering virtually every area of the UK.
Gradually, societies expanded and opened further stores or they would merge with a neighbouring society. Today, there is one dominant, national society, The Co-operative Group
, a family of businesses led by its principles and owned by its members, with over three million members and 4,500 trading outlets. The family of businesses comprise food, travel, banking, insurance, pharmacy, funeral, legal services, investments, online shop, electrical and beds. Membership is open to everyone as long as they share The Co-operative’s values and principles. Every year members receive a share of the profits that they helped to create, based on the amount made in profits that year and the how much they had spent with any of its businesses.
The Co-operative Group is complemented by a number of large regional societies such as Midlands Co-op, the Midcounties Co-operative and Scotmid
. However, many societies have remained with a single store such as Shepley Co-op
, Coniston Co-op and Allendale Co-op.
The decline, through mergers, of single shop co-operatives, was reversed by two trends.
Firstly, around 170 community owned shops were established since 1979, many of which are co-operatives.
Secondly, the United States food co-operative movement was replicated in the UK: some of the independent food co-operatives established in the late 20th and early 21st centuries operate shops.
, church
or association. Because of the need for a common bond, most credit unions remain rather small. Credit Unions are run in a not-for-profit way. This means they use their money to run their services and reward their members - not to pay outside shareholders. They must set money aside each year to ensure they don't go bust. They use any leftover money to provide better services to members or share evenly among savings accounts (a dividend
)
In Great Britain
(England
, Scotland
and Wales
), Credit Unions are regulated by the Financial Services Authority
who set certain standard and approve the people who hold important positions within a credit union. All credit unions must have the words 'Credit Union' in the title, or in Wales
they can have 'Undeb Credyd'. The main trade association for credit unions in Great Britain is the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd (ABCUL). ABCUL is based in Holyoake House, a Grade One listed building in Manchester
owned by Co-operativesUK.
In Northern Ireland
, Credit Unions are currently regulated by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
and registered by its registry function - the Registry of Credit Unions and Industrial and Provident Societies. However, there are proposals for regulatory reform, set out by HM Treasury
and the DETI
, which detail transferring registration and regulatory responsibility for credit unions in Northern Ireland to the Financial Services Authority
. The main trade association for credit unions throughout the island of Ireland
is the Irish League of Credit Unions
.
Housing co-operatives are owned and democratically controlled by its member-tenants. The Confederation of Co-operative Housing is the UK's national body for housing co-ops.
The largest employee-owned company in the UK is the John Lewis Partnership
. Though John Lewis is a public limited company
, its shares
are held in trust on behalf of the employees rather than being traded on the London Stock Exchange
. Each employee (referred to as “partner” within John Lewis) has a say in how the company is run and each year they are awarded an equal percentage share of the profits based on their salary. In the past ten years, this has amounted to between one and two months' salary for partners. The John Lewis Partnership operates twenty-six department store
s and a webstore
under the John Lewis
division and 187 (Dec 2007) supermarkets in the Waitrose
division. The company's presence is more marked in the south and east of England
though it is gradually expanding to other areas of Great Britain
.
Suma
is the largest independent wholefood wholesaler-distributor in the United Kingdom
and a workers' co-operative. Suma specialise in vegetarian, Fairtrade, organic
, ethical and natural products.
Mole Valley Farmers
is a larger example of a supply co-operative founded by farmers.
The late twentieth century saw the demutualization
of several large co-operatives, including the large regional West Midland Farmers, which was founded in 1916 as the Atworth and District Agricultural Society.
West Midland Farmers renamed itself to Countrywide Farmers in 1999, becoming a joint stock company owned by 11,000 farmers.
The 1994 break-up of the Milk Marketing Board
eventually formed several large dairy marketing co-operatives, including Milk Marque (since demutualized and renamed Community Foods Group), Dairy Farmers of Britain
. Milk Link and First Milk.
Retailers' co-operatives (not to be confused with retail consumer co-operatives, above) provide marketing and wholesaling services to retail businesses.
.
The Co-operative College has, since 1919, served the co-operative sector in terms of developing members and managers, working internationally and developing new co-operative ideas. Various independent co-operative development agencies assist the formation of new co-operative enterprises. Co-operative & Community Finance provides financing for new ventures. The Co-operative Press
publishes The Co-operative News, the main news organ of the movement.
The Co-operative Party
was formed to promote the co-operative sector in Parliament. Retail societies and other co-operatives are among the members of the Party, which works with the Labour Party
to elect those sympathetic to co-operative issues and to promote co-operation and mutuality. The think tank and consultancy Mutuo
was originally developed by the Party and now operates independently across the wider mutual sector in the United Kingdom.
The Woodcraft Folk is an organisation widely considered to be the youth arm of the co-operative movement. Woodcraft Folk groups teach the principles of cooperation to children and is financially supported by the cooperative group and many other cooperative societies.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 3 million individual members. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers'
Rochdale Pioneers
The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844, was an early consumer co-operative, and the first to pay a patronage dividend, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement....
shop in the northern English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
town of Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
in 1844.
Co-operatives UK is the central membership organisation for co-operative enterprise throughout the UK. This is a co-operative of co-operatives: a co-operative federation. Most kinds of co-operatives are eligible to join Co-operatives UK.
Consumer and food
The largest and most recognised part of the UK movement are the many consumers' co-operatives. They are co-operative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
businesses run for the benefit of their customer members. Of these co-operatives, the largest sector is food retailing, though they have a significant presence in other sectors such as travel agencies and funeral director
Funeral director
A funeral director , also known as a mortician or undertaker, is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as well as the planning and arrangement of the actual funeral ceremony...
s.
The late 20th and early 21st centuries have seen a gradual exit by these businesses from the non-food retailing market.
Many co-operatives (by convention known as co-operative societies) started out in a single village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
, town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
or city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
usually with just a single store. Here, members would be customers of the society's trading location and the society would reward these members with a proportion of any profits based on that member's spending with the society, or a dividend
Dividend
Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be distributed to...
. This is a fundamental difference between a co-operative and a joint stock company
Joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
.
Most societies were small, and by 1900, there were 1,439 co-operatives covering virtually every area of the UK.
Gradually, societies expanded and opened further stores or they would merge with a neighbouring society. Today, there is one dominant, national society, The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
, a family of businesses led by its principles and owned by its members, with over three million members and 4,500 trading outlets. The family of businesses comprise food, travel, banking, insurance, pharmacy, funeral, legal services, investments, online shop, electrical and beds. Membership is open to everyone as long as they share The Co-operative’s values and principles. Every year members receive a share of the profits that they helped to create, based on the amount made in profits that year and the how much they had spent with any of its businesses.
The Co-operative Group is complemented by a number of large regional societies such as Midlands Co-op, the Midcounties Co-operative and Scotmid
Scotmid
The Scottish Midland Co-operative Society Limited, trading as Scotmid Co-operative, is an independent retail consumers' co-operative which originated in the Scottish Midlands, particularly Edinburgh and the Lothians. It was formed in 1981 by a merger of the Dalziel Society of Motherwell with the...
. However, many societies have remained with a single store such as Shepley Co-op
Shepley Co-operative Society
Shepley Co-operative Society Limited is a small consumer co-operative based in the West Yorkshire village of Shepley in the United Kingdom. The Society operates a single store on Station Road....
, Coniston Co-op and Allendale Co-op.
The decline, through mergers, of single shop co-operatives, was reversed by two trends.
Firstly, around 170 community owned shops were established since 1979, many of which are co-operatives.
Secondly, the United States food co-operative movement was replicated in the UK: some of the independent food co-operatives established in the late 20th and early 21st centuries operate shops.
List of societies
| Society | Website | Founded | Members | Activities (number of outlets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allendale | Food (1) | |||
| Anglia Regional Anglia Regional Co-operative Society Anglia Regional Co-operative Society Limited is the fifth largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It was formed by the merger of the Greater Peterborough Regional and Anglia Co-operative Societies in 1987. The Society has a wide-ranging and extensive portfolio with over 100 stores,... |
arcs.co.uk | 1876 | 216,102 | Food (30), Funerals (18), Travel (11), Non-food (38), Petrol (12), Opticians (2) |
| Bathford | www.bathford.net/BEFA.php | 2006 | 200 (2009) | Food (1) |
| Chelmsford Star Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society Limited is a consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a corporate member of... |
chelmsfordstar.coop | 1867 | 52,937 | Food (28), Non-food (2), Travel (3), Funerals (6) |
| Channel Islands Channel Islands Co-operative Society The Channel Islands' Co-operative Society Limited is a consumer co-operative. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd. in the United Kingdom, the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a corporate member of... |
ci-cooperative.com | 1919 | Food (16), Non food (3: two 'Homemaker' stores and one 'Totalsport' store), Travel (2) | |
| Clydebank Clydebank Co-operative Society The Clydebank Co-operative Society Limited is the smallest consumers' co-operative in Scotland, based in the town of Clydebank near Glasgow. Along with Scotmid and The Co-operative Group, it is one of three co-operative retailers in Scotland, and the only one not merged into a regional or national... |
1881 | Food (6) | ||
| Coniston | conistonco-op.co.uk | 1896 | Food (1) | |
| East of England East of England Co-operative Society The East of England Co-operative Society Limited is the third largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a... |
eastofengland.coop | 1858 | ≈350,000 | |
| Grosmont (North Yorkshire) | 1867 | |||
| Heart of England Heart of England Co-operative Society The Heart of England Co-operative Society Limited is a regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group and a corporate member of Co-operative Group Ltd. , the... |
heartofengland.coop | 1832 | 179,657 | Food (33), Non-food (21), Funeral (9), Travel (3), Post Offices (4) |
| Hawkshead | 1881 | |||
| Langdale | 1884 | Food and non-food (1) | ||
| Lincolnshire Lincolnshire Co-operative Society Lincolnshire Co-operative is a consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group and a corporate member of Co-operative Group Ltd... |
lincolnshire.coop | 1861 | 149,247 (2007) | Food (69), Bakery (majority-owned), Pharmacies (29), Coffee shops (6), Non-food (4), Post offices (41), Travel (9), Funeral (9), Motors (2), Filling stations (11), Cash registers |
| Midcounties Midcounties Co-operative Society The Midcounties Co-operative Limited is the fourth-largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of Co-operatives UK, the Co-operative Retail Trading Group and a corporate member of Co-operative Group Ltd. , the largest consumer... |
midcounties.coop | Food (147) | ||
| Midlands | midlandsco-op.com | Food (171) non-food(6) funerals(80) travel(100) | ||
| Penrith Penrith Co-operative Society The Penrith Co-operative Society Limited, known locally as Penrith Co-op, is a small regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. The society was formed in 1890 and today operates one department store with supermarket attached and eight small supermarkets or convenience stores in Cumbria... |
penrithco-op.co.uk | Food (10), Food and Non-Food (1) | ||
| Radstock Radstock Co-operative Society Radstock Co-operative Society Ltd is a small consumer co-operative, which was established in Radstock, Somerset in 1868.The society operates a large supermarket in Westfield, near Radstock, and ten convenience shops in towns and villages in the area... |
www.radstock-co-op.com | 1867 | 7,500 | Food (8) |
| Scotmid | scotmid.coop | Food (129) | ||
| Seaton Valley | Food (1) | |||
| Shepley Shepley Co-operative Society Shepley Co-operative Society Limited is a small consumer co-operative based in the West Yorkshire village of Shepley in the United Kingdom. The Society operates a single store on Station Road.... |
Food (1) | |||
| Steeple Ashton | 2005 | 230 (2007) | Food (1) | |
| Southern Southern Co-operatives Southern Co-operatives Limited is a regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group and a corporate member of Co-operative Group Ltd. , the largest consumer... |
southern.coop | 1873 | 93,000 (2009) | Food (120), Funerals (31) |
| Tamworth | tamworth.coop | Food (14) Non-Food (2)Funeral (8) | ||
| Wine Society Wine Society The Wine Society is the world's oldest wine club having been founded at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 4 August 1874. The Wine Society was created and still operates as a co-operative with each member owning one share... |
thewinesociety.com | Wine | ||
| Wooldale Wooldale Co-operative Society Wooldale Co-operative Society Limited is a small consumer co-operative based in the West Yorkshire village of Wooldale. The society operates three convenience stores in the Holme Valley villages of New Mill, Thongsbridge and Wooldale... |
wooldale.coop | Food (3) |
Credit unions
Credit Unions are a loan and savings co-operative. Members normally have a 'common bond' to make them eligible for membership. Commons bonds are usually that all members live in a certain locality, work for a common employer or belong to the same trade unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
or association. Because of the need for a common bond, most credit unions remain rather small. Credit Unions are run in a not-for-profit way. This means they use their money to run their services and reward their members - not to pay outside shareholders. They must set money aside each year to ensure they don't go bust. They use any leftover money to provide better services to members or share evenly among savings accounts (a dividend
Dividend
Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be distributed to...
)
In Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
(England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
), Credit Unions are regulated by the Financial Services Authority
Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...
who set certain standard and approve the people who hold important positions within a credit union. All credit unions must have the words 'Credit Union' in the title, or in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
they can have 'Undeb Credyd'. The main trade association for credit unions in Great Britain is the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd (ABCUL). ABCUL is based in Holyoake House, a Grade One listed building in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
owned by Co-operativesUK.
In Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Credit Unions are currently regulated by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
and registered by its registry function - the Registry of Credit Unions and Industrial and Provident Societies. However, there are proposals for regulatory reform, set out by HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
and the DETI
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
, which detail transferring registration and regulatory responsibility for credit unions in Northern Ireland to the Financial Services Authority
Financial Services Authority
The Financial Services Authority is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury and the organisation is structured as a company limited by guarantee and owned by the UK government. Its main...
. The main trade association for credit unions throughout the island of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
is the Irish League of Credit Unions
Irish League of Credit Unions
The Irish League of Credit Unions is a trade association for credit unions in Ireland. It operates in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland...
.
Housing
Housing co-operatives are owned and democratically controlled by its member-tenants. The Confederation of Co-operative Housing is the UK's national body for housing co-ops.
Worker
A worker co-operative is a co-operative owned and democratically controlled by its employees. There are no outside- or consumer-owners in a worker co-operative. Only the workers own shares of the business. It is estimated that there are approximately 403 worker owned and controlled co-operatives in the United Kingdom. In 2009 Co-operativesUK recorded a combined turnover of £144 million with assest of £32 million as part of the co-operative review 2009.The largest employee-owned company in the UK is the John Lewis Partnership
John Lewis Partnership
The John Lewis Partnership is an employee-owned UK partnership which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and a number of other services...
. Though John Lewis is a public limited company
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
, its shares
Stock
The capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...
are held in trust on behalf of the employees rather than being traded on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
. Each employee (referred to as “partner” within John Lewis) has a say in how the company is run and each year they are awarded an equal percentage share of the profits based on their salary. In the past ten years, this has amounted to between one and two months' salary for partners. The John Lewis Partnership operates twenty-six department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s and a webstore
Webstore
A webstore is a website that sells products or services and typically has an online shopping cart associated with it. With the popularity of the Internet rapidly increasing, online shopping became advantageous for retail store owners, and many traditional “brick and mortar” stores saw value in...
under the John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
division and 187 (Dec 2007) supermarkets in the Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
division. The company's presence is more marked in the south and east of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
though it is gradually expanding to other areas of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
Suma
Suma (co-operative)
Suma is the trading name of the Triangle Wholefoods Collective Ltd, a worker co-operative incorporated as an industrial and provident society. It was founded in Leeds in 1975 and is now based in Elland, West Yorkshire. It is the largest independent wholefood wholesaler in the United Kingdom...
is the largest independent wholefood wholesaler-distributor in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and a workers' co-operative. Suma specialise in vegetarian, Fairtrade, organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
, ethical and natural products.
Agricultural
Agricultural marketing and supply co-operatives are owned by farmers.Mole Valley Farmers
Mole Valley Farmers
Mole Valley Farmers was started in 1960 by a small group of farmers in Devon who were concerned by the discriminatory practices and the large margins being taken by many of their input suppliers. They decided to treat all members equally, subject only to quantity allowance and that the company...
is a larger example of a supply co-operative founded by farmers.
The late twentieth century saw the demutualization
Demutualization
Demutualization is the process by which a customer-owned mutual organization or co-operative changes legal form to a joint stock company. It is sometimes called stocking or privatization. As part of the demutualization process, members of a mutual usually receive a "windfall" payout, in the form...
of several large co-operatives, including the large regional West Midland Farmers, which was founded in 1916 as the Atworth and District Agricultural Society.
West Midland Farmers renamed itself to Countrywide Farmers in 1999, becoming a joint stock company owned by 11,000 farmers.
The 1994 break-up of the Milk Marketing Board
Milk Marketing Board
The Milk Marketing Board was a government agency established in 1933 to control milk production and distribution in the United Kingdom. It functioned as buyer of last resort in the British milk market, thereby guaranteeing a minimum price for milk producers...
eventually formed several large dairy marketing co-operatives, including Milk Marque (since demutualized and renamed Community Foods Group), Dairy Farmers of Britain
Dairy Farmers of Britain
Dairy Farmers of Britain was a UK co-operative milk processor that bought milk directly from farmers and had several factories producing milk and cheese products for sale in various regions throughout the UK...
. Milk Link and First Milk.
Local Exchange Trading Systems
Retailers'
Retailers' co-operatives (not to be confused with retail consumer co-operatives, above) provide marketing and wholesaling services to retail businesses.
- Independent retail consumer co-operatives are corporate members of The Co-operative GroupThe Co-operative GroupThe Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
, a secondary co-operative. The Co-operative Group manages the Co-operative Retail Trading GroupCo-operative Retail Trading GroupThe Co-operative Retail Trading Group is the central buying group for co-operative retail societies in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1993, and says that it supplies 100% of food bought for sale by co-operatives in the UK, after being joined by the last two independent societies in 2002...
, servicing 3200 food stores, including its own and those of its corporate members. The Group also provides other collective buying, marketing and distribution functions. - Members of the Arizona hoteliers' marketing association, Best WesternBest WesternBest Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
, have 280 hotels in the UK, . - UK retailers' and wholesalers' association, Nisa-Today's, organizes along co-operative lines. , Nisa-Today's represents 300 wholesalers and 674 retailers, with 5000 convenience stores and small supermarkets, including the CostcutterCostcutterCostcutter is based in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Poland under which there are supermarkets and local and urban convenience stores. The banner also has its own brand of goods and products which are sold alongside Nisa Today own-brand products and branded products.As of December 2006,...
symbol groupSymbol groupSymbol group is a mainly British term for a form of franchise in the retail sector. They do not own or operate stores, but act as suppliers to independent grocers and small supermarkets and produce stores which then trade under a common banner...
. - The Dutch association of retailers and wholesalers, SPARSPARSpar , trades from approximately 12400 stores in 34 countries worldwide and is the world's largest independent voluntary retail trading chain. Spar was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by retailer Adriaan Van Well and now, through its affiliate organisations, operates through most European...
, is very similar to Nisa-Today's, but its UK membership is smaller. , SPAR members have 2500 outlets in the UK. - Most retail florists are members of InterfloraInterfloraInterflora is the most commonly used name for a group of organisations worldwide, providing florists with a brand under which flowers can be purchased and delivered to 140 countries, most with their own partnership, or unit.- History :...
, a former co-operative that demutualized in 2006 (when it was acquired by its United States affiliate, Florists' Transworld DeliveryFlorists' Transworld Delivery-Going public:In 1994, FTD began a process of demutualization.On December 19, 1994, a precursor to the FTD Corporation, a private, for-profit company, acquired FTD, which then divided FTD into two organizations: FTD Incorporated, a for profit corporation, and FTD Association, a non-profit trade...
.)
Support organisations
In addition to Co-operativesUK, the central membership organisation for British co-operatives, there are a variety of other support organisations and secondary co-operatives serving the sector. The Plunkett Foundation promotes co-operation in rural communities, including the agricultural and retail sectors. There are several other sectoral co-operative bodies, such as the Confederation of Co-operative Housing and Supporters DirectSupporters Direct
Supporters Direct are an umbrella organisation set up originally by the United Kingdom government to provide support and assistance for its member trusts to secure a greater level of accountability and deliver democratic representation within football clubs and within football's governing structures...
.
The Co-operative College has, since 1919, served the co-operative sector in terms of developing members and managers, working internationally and developing new co-operative ideas. Various independent co-operative development agencies assist the formation of new co-operative enterprises. Co-operative & Community Finance provides financing for new ventures. The Co-operative Press
Co-operative Press
The Co-operative Press is a British small co-operative society whose principal activity is the publication of The Co-operative News. The mission of the Society is "To be the best news service and forum in the co-operative, mutual and social...
publishes The Co-operative News, the main news organ of the movement.
The Co-operative Party
Co-operative Party
The Co-operative Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom committed to supporting and representing co-operative principles. The party does not put up separate candidates for any UK election itself. Instead, Co-operative candidates stand jointly with the Labour Party as "Labour...
was formed to promote the co-operative sector in Parliament. Retail societies and other co-operatives are among the members of the Party, which works with the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
to elect those sympathetic to co-operative issues and to promote co-operation and mutuality. The think tank and consultancy Mutuo
Mutuo
Mutuo is a British think tank that has Gordon Brown as a patron and advocates cooperatives. In anticipation of the 2010 general election, it published the Mutuals Manifesto, which was the subject of an early day motion in the House of Commons.-External links:...
was originally developed by the Party and now operates independently across the wider mutual sector in the United Kingdom.
The Woodcraft Folk is an organisation widely considered to be the youth arm of the co-operative movement. Woodcraft Folk groups teach the principles of cooperation to children and is financially supported by the cooperative group and many other cooperative societies.