Co-operative Group

The Co-operative Group, which began in 1844, is known as the largest customer-owned business and the fifth largest food retailer in the UK. The group has 4.6 million members.

The Co-operative Group is involved in the following areas of business:

• Food retailing and wholesaling

• Funeral provider

• Life planning services

• Insurance

• Banking

• Pharmaceutical 

The Co-operative Group operates 2582 food stores, including 102 which were launched in 2018. During that same year, the group also opened its first Co-op franchise store. In addition to this, the business also acquired Nisa, hence now owning 4000 Nisa stores. 

The Co-operative Group acquired Dimec, a digital platform in 2019. The acquisition indicates a return to the healthcare market with a focus on online business. The Co-operative Group is also investing in technology for various areas of business. For the food segment, it is currently testing robotic home delivery and “pay in aisle” technology. 

For 2018, The Co-operative Group’s turnover was € 12.2 billion, indicating an increase of 14% as compared to the previous year’s turnover. It must be noted that the Food segment has registered a growth of 4.4% in revenue for 2018. 

In 2016, the group was awarded convenience retailer of the year at the Retail Industry awards.

While the products are collectively sourced, the Co-op brand can be found in more than 3500 premises, having the largest geographical spread.

Concerning the logistics, the company has invested € 33.4 million in order to modernize its current distribution centres. A further € 53.7 million has been injected so as to build a new distribution centre. 

The Co-operative Group is also concerned about the community. The company provides education in deprived parts of the country and has created the Co-op Academies. By 2018, the number of schools joining Co-op Academies is 18. 

The Co-operative Group has been committed to using renewable sources of energy since 2005. Nowadays, all the electricity consumed by the group and its subsidiaries come from UK wind farms. In addition to this, the group has succeeded in reducing its green gas emissions by 50%. 

Furthermore, all palm oil used in The Co-operative Group’s products are sustainable and have been certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil since 2012. 

UPDATES ON THE CO-OPERATIVE GROUP ON 20/02/2020

For 2020, The Co-operative Group is looking for products in the following categories:

• Frozen Food: desserts and ice cream

• Dairy: yoghurts, milk, cream, butter, margarine, etc.

The Co-operative Group is also sourcing dairy-free products for all its categories. The products should be vegan and/or free-from range. The group is highly interested in products such as ice-cream, desserts, cheesecakes, milk, spreads, cheese, savory goods, etc. The Co-operative Group has a preference for working with a supplier that can supply all the dairy-free products mentioned under the group’s private labels.