The
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 3 million individual members. Modern co-operation started with the
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
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
town of
RochdaleRochdale 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-operativeA cooperative is defined by the International Co-operative Alliance's Statement on the Co-operative Identity as an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and...
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 directorA Funeral Director: FD, LFD, CFSP, FD&E, Mortuary College graduate 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
villageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a town or city. 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 York City and the Saifi Village in...
,
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
or
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
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
dividendDividends 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 paid to the...
. This is a fundamental difference between a co-operative and a
joint stock companyA joint stock company is a type of business entity: it is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more legal persons. Certificates of ownership are issued by the company in return for each financial contribution, and the shareholders are free to transfer their ownership interest at...
.
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 GroupThe Co-operative Group is a United Kingdom consumers' co-operative, and, after the acquisition of Somerfield supermarkets, is the world's largest consumer-owned business, with over 4.5 million members and 87,000 employees across all its businesses...
, 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's is complemented by a number of large regional societies such as Midlands Co-op, the Midcounties Co-operative and
ScotmidThe 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-opShepley 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 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 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 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 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), Non-food, Funerals, Post Offices |
| Coniston |
conistonco-op.co.uk |
1896 |
|
Food (1) |
The Co-operative GroupThe Co-operative Group is a United Kingdom consumers' co-operative, and, after the acquisition of Somerfield supermarkets, is the world's largest consumer-owned business, with over 4.5 million members and 87,000 employees across all its businesses...
|
co-operative.coop |
1863 |
4.6million (2007) |
Food, Funeral, Travel, Legal Services, Online shop, Car sales and service, Banking, CIS (approx 4500 locations) |
East of EnglandThe 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 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 The 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 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 the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group and a corporate member of Co-operative Group Ltd. , the largest...
|
midcounties.coop |
|
|
Food (147) |
| Midlands |
midlandsco-op.com |
|
|
Food (160) |
| Penrith The Penrith Co-operative Society Limited, known locally as Penrith Co-op, is a small regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom...
|
penrithco-op.co.uk |
|
|
Food (10), Non-Food (1) |
RadstockRadstock 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 Radstock and seven convenience shops in towns and villages in the area. The supermarket has non-food departments including a travel...
|
www.radstock-co-op.com |
1867 |
7,500 |
Food (8) |
| Scotmid |
scotmid.coop |
|
|
Food (129) |
| Seaton Valley |
|
|
|
Food (1) |
ShepleyShepley 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 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 |
|
|
Food (108) |
| The Phone Co-op |
phone.coop |
|
|
Telecommunications |
| Tamworth |
tamworth.coop |
|
|
Food (14) |
| 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 |
WooldaleWooldale 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 unionA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
,
churchA local church is a Christian religious organization made up of a congregation, its members and clergy. They are organized more or less formally, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, sometimes seek non-profit corporate status in the United States and often have state or regional...
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
dividendDividends 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 paid to the...
)
In
Great BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
, Credit Unions are regulated by the
Financial Services AuthorityThe Financial Services Authority is an independent non-governmental body, quasi-judicial body and a company limited by guarantee that regulates the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Its board is appointed by the Treasury. Its main office is based in Canary Wharf, London, with...
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
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
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
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
owned by Co-operatives
UK.
In
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, the Companies Registry of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investments are responsible for the regulation of credit unions. The main trade association for credit unions throughout the island of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
is the
Irish League of Credit UnionsThe Irish League of Credit Unions was set up by a small group of credit unions in 1960 to represent & service affiliated credit unions on the island of Ireland. The ILCU now represents the interests of over 521 credit unions in 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 358 worker owned and controlled co-operatives in the United Kingdom, 55 of which have started up in 2003 and 2004. The combined turnover of the 163 worker co-operatives for which Co-operatives
UK has information is over £100 million and they employ almost two thousand members.
The largest employee-owned company in the UK is the
John Lewis PartnershipThe John Lewis Partnership is a major United Kingdom worker co-operative retailer which operates John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets and the direct services company Greenbee...
. Though John Lewis is a
public limited companyA public limited company is a type of limited liability company in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which is permitted to offer its shares to the public.A public limited company must include the words "public limited company" or its...
, its
sharesIn the investment world, a share of stock represents a share of ownership in a corporation ....
are held in trust on behalf of the employees rather than being traded on the
London Stock ExchangeThe London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1801, it is one of the largest stock exchanges in the world, with many overseas listings as well as British companies...
. 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 storeA department store is a retail establishment which specializes in satisfying a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s and a
webstoreA 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 LewisJohn Lewis is a chain of department stores operating throughout Great Britain and is popular amongst the middle class for its high quality goods. The chain is owned by the John Lewis Partnership. All permanent employees are partners in the business. There are currently 28 stores throughout England...
division and 187 (Dec 2007) supermarkets in the
WaitroseWaitrose is an upmarket supermarket in the UK. Waitrose is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. As of August 2009, there are 214 branches across the United Kingdom...
division. The company's presence is more marked in the south and east of
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
though it is gradually expanding to other areas of
Great BritainGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
.
SumaSuma 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....
is the largest independent wholefood wholesaler-distributor in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and a workers' co-operative. Suma specialise in vegetarian, Fairtrade,
organicOrganic foods are made according to certain production standards. For the vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described as organic; only during the 20th century was a large supply of new synthetic chemicals introduced to the food supply...
, ethical and natural products.
Agricultural
Agricultural marketing and supply co-operatives are owned by farmers.
Mole Valley Farmers is a larger example of a supply co-operative founded by farmers.
The late twentieth century saw the
demutualizationDemutualization 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 BoardThe 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 BritainDairy Farmers of Britain is a UK co-operative milk processor that buys milk directly from farmers and has 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 Group
The Co-operative Group is a United Kingdom consumers' co-operative, and, after the acquisition of Somerfield supermarkets, is the world's largest consumer-owned business, with over 4.5 million members and 87,000 employees across all its businesses...
, a secondary co-operative. The Co-operative Group manages the Co-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 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 Western
Best Western International, Inc. claims to be the world's largest hotel chain, with over 4,000 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The Phoenix-based chain operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free Wi-Fi access hotspots in its...
, 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 Costcutter
Costcutter 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 branded products and the usual national and local brands found in any...
symbol 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, SPAR
Spar is the world’s largest food retailer, with approximately 20,000 stores in 35 countries worldwide. SPAR originated in the Netherlands in 1932 and now, through its affiliate organisations, operates through most European countries, South Africa, Asia and Australia...
, 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 Interflora
Interflora 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 sixty-four 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 DeliveryFTD Group, Inc. , also trading as Florists' Transworld Delivery, is a floral wire service, retailer and wholesaler based in Downers Grove, Illinois, in the United States....
.)
Support organisations
In addition to Co-operatives
UK, 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 are an umbrella organisation set up originally by the United Kingdom Government to provide support and assistance for its member trusts to secure greater level of accountability and deliver democratic representation within football clubs and within the game'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 PressThe 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 PartyThe 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 PartyThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
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.
External links