Just as in lots of countries throughout the world, there are many different types of co-op in the UK.
Food retail is by far the largest sector of the Co-op in the UK accounting for almost half of all turnover and the Co-operative Group accounts for more than 50% of total co-operative trade. But although food stores are perhaps the most recognisable face of the Co-op on the high street, the co-operative picture is much bigger than that. As well as travel agencies, funeral homes, The Co-operative Bank, CIS and car dealerships - all consumer co-ops - the Movement includes housing co-operatives, credit unions, worker co-ops and much much more.
Here is a snapshot of the kinds of co-op you can find in the UK.
Consumer
Dating back to the Rochdale Pioneers' shop on Toad Lane, consumer co-ops can now be found in all parts of the UK. Whereas in the past there were many hundreds of such co-ops, today there are less than 50, as over the years local societies have merged with neighbouring or larger co-ops.
As mentioned above, consumer co-ops have food stores, department stores, travel agents, funeral services and car dealerships, as well as other services, including those on-line.
The largest consumer co-op in the UK is the Co-operative Group, which also includes The Co-operative Bank and the Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS). The second largest is United, which trades from the Lake District down to the Midlands. There are also others such as Lanebottom Co-op which has just one shop.
The benefits of being a member of a consumer co-op vary but in order to maximise those benefits, people join the consumer co-op that has outlets near where they live. To make it easier to identify which consumer co-op you can join, the names of most societies correspond to where they trade. For example, Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-op, Ilkeston Co-op, Leeds Co-op, Chelmsford Star.
To find out more, about the consumer co-ops in the UK today, visit our links section.
Housing
Housing co-ops have been in existence for many years but have become more common since the 1970s and today thousands of households in the UK are part of such co-ops.
They are democratically owned and managed by their members (tenants) and therefore the members take collective responsibility for the general upkeep of the housing and have a say in how the co-operative is run.
To find out more about housing co-ops, including the various types that exist to meet specific needs and where funding is available from, go to the web site of the Confederation of Co-operative Housing, the UK's national body for housing co-ops, - www.cch-uk.org or call them on 0161 232 1588.
Worker
Worker co-ops are owned and controlled by their employees and have a wide variety of management structures. Some are managed on a collective basis, in which case all employees are members and directors, whereas others are managed through a Board of Directors democratically elected by employee members.
The Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM), which has recently become part of the Co-operatives UK, is the national federation of worker co-operatives and employee owned businesses. It has played a crucial role in promoting the principles of democratic employee ownership.
To find out more about worker co-ops, visit our links section. There you can read about worker co-ops that already exist and access Co-operatives UK web site. Alternatively, get in touch with ICOM by calling 0161 246 2959.
Credit unions
Credit unions can increasingly be found in all corners of the country from Belfast, Cornwall, Rochdale and Glasgow, to Norwich, Leicester and London.
They are financial co-operatives that exist to provide their members with a way of saving - offering an annual dividend of up to 8% in some cases - and they are also able to offer loans to members.
This is a burgeoning sector of the Co-op. To find out more about credit unions in the UK, log on to www.abcul.org, the site of the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd which is the main trade association for credit unions in England, Scotland and Wales, providing information, training and consultancy services amongst other support. You can also call them on 0161 832 3694.
Members in Northern Ireland can contact the Irish League of Credit Unions at www.creditunion.ie or call them on 00 3531 614 6700.
Local Exchange Trading Systems
Local Exchange Trading Systems are an innovative and co-operative way of satisfying members' needs and doing business without the use of conventional money.
LETS are trading systems that allow people to trade with each other when normally a lack of money would prevent it. They are not-for-profit organisations involving members in the same community exchanging skills or goods and services and either using the local currency to pay for them or doing something in return.
At the centre of LETS organisations is a directory within which all members list what they have to offer, perhaps it's plumbing skills, teaching people how to play the piano, joinery, looking after pets. People can then contact one another, and using the local form of currency, buy, loan or hire anything. This means people don't go into debt, it develops a sense of community and often enhances people's skills.
Food
Food co-ops exist in many areas of the UK to provide good quality food at a reasonable price. It may simply be a few people working together to make sure members can access quality fruit and vegetables, or it may be that a local shop is run as a co-operative/community enterprise for the benefit of the local residents.
The Co-operative Group has worked with many food co-ops. To find out more, contact the Co-operative Strategy Unit on 0161 827 6696. The Co-operative Group website has a pack on setting up food co-ops, visit www.co-op.co.uk.
Agricultural
Agricultural co-operatives bring producers, for example farmers, together to benefit from economies of scale when it comes to marketing and/or purchasing. To find out more about such co-operatives, visit our links section.
We have listed other web sites which you may find to be of interest, in the Contacts section.
We hope this gives you a flavour of the UK Co-operative Movement. This is by no means the complete picture. If you are a member of a type of co-op in the UK that isn't mentioned, please let us know.
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