Co-op Food

Co-operative Group Limited (Food)
	Logo used since 2016
	A rebranded Co-op Food shop in Old Street, London
Trade name	Co-op
Company type	Groceries retailer
Founded	23 July 1850
Headquarters	Manchester, United Kingdom
Number of locations	2,564 (2022)
Revenue	£7.8 billion (2022)
Net income	£139 million (2022)
Owner	The Co-operative Group
Website	Official website

Co-op is a UK supermarket chain and the brand used for the food retail business of The Co-operative Group, one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives. As the UK’s fifth largest food retailer, Co-op operates nearly 2,400 food stores. It also supplies products to over 6,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies, through its wholesale business, Nisa Retail Limited.^[2]^[3]

Co-op is owned by millions of UK consumers and employs 56,000 people, with an annual turnover of more than £11 billion. The organisation is known for its involvement in social and community programmes.^[2]

Before reintroducing the Co-op brand in 2016, the group used "The Co-operative" branding, which some consumers' co-operative societies in the UK continue to use, while others have adopted their own branding.

In 2024, Co-op introduced a new brand platform, "Owned by You. Right By You." This was developed in response to findings that over 50% of consumers did not fully understand the concept of a co-operative or mutual business.^[2]

Operations

The "Co-op" brand is used by over 3,500 shops owned by various societies which make up the co-operative movement, including the Central England Co-operative. A number of co-operative societies including Scotmid and the Lincolnshire Co-operative prefer to use the 1992 'cloverleaf version' of The Co-operative brand. In May 2016, The Co-operative Group reverted to the use of its 1968 Co-op cloverleaf branding.^[4]

In March 2009, The Co-operative Group acquired the Somerfield supermarket retailer for £1.57bn from a group of private equity investors. The Somerfield Head Office in Bristol was subsequently closed and the grocery stores were either sold to rivals or integrated into its own Co-op Food division. In 2016, The Co-operative Group sold 298 smaller convenience stores to McColl's.

The majority of products sold in "Co-op Food" shops are sourced collectively through Federal Retail Trading Services although stocking decisions and pricing are determined by the individual businesses.

List of UK Co-operatives with food retail operations

Though often considered to be one supermarket business, The Co-operative Food is a network of supermarkets and convenience shops owned and operated by over 15 independent co-operative societies, many of which have adopted the 2008 version of The Co-operative brand. In total there are over 4,000 co-operative food shops in the UK. The table below indicates how many food shops each co-operative society operates.

Co-operative Society	Number of Outlets	Version of The Co-operative brand
The Co-operative Group	2,774	2016 cloverleaf
Central England Co-operative	261	ICA logo
The Midcounties Co-operative	234	ICA logo
Southern Co-operative	213	own version
Scotmid	206	ICA logo
East of England Co-operative Society	132	own version
Lincolnshire Co-operative	93	1993 cloverleaf
Chelmsford Star Co-operative	42	ICA logo ^[5]
Heart of England Co-operative	33	2008 version
Channel Islands Co-operative Society	26	ICA logo
Radstock Co-operative Society	16	own version
Tamworth Co-operative Society	12	2008 version
Clydebank Co-operative Society	6	1993 cloverleaf
Allendale Co-operative Society	1	own version
Coniston Co-op	1	own version / 1993 cloverleaf
Grosmont Co-operative Society	1	own version

Work with Amazon

In 2021, the Co-op started selling food online through Amazon, using robots to deliver groceries. The move was criticised by the GMB union, which has been campaigning for improved worker rights at Amazon.^[6]

Distribution

Co-op Supply Chain Logistics is the distribution business of The Co-operative Group that manages the national and international distribution of goods on behalf of all the food retailing co-operative societies who are members of Co-operative Federal Retail Trading Services. The Co-operative Group manages all of its own warehouses and most of its own transport operations, although several distribution centres use third party logistics partners to manage their transport operations. Supply Chain Logistics Head Office is co-located at the Birtley Distribution Centre.

Co-op Supply Chain Logistics has 9 regional distribution centres (RDCs) and 3 smaller local service centres (LSCs) servicing the outer extremities of the UK. The Coventry-based National Distribution Centre (NDC) supplies all distribution centres with slower moving ambient lines and tobacco.

Depot Name	Location	Products	Transport Operation
Birtley RDC	Birtley, County Durham	Ambient, Frozen (picked in Newhouse), Chilled, Meat and Produce	Co-op SCL
Andover RDC & Frozen Hub	Andover, Hampshire	Ambient, Frozen, Chilled, Meat and Produce	GXO Logistics
Avonmouth RDC	Avonmouth, Bristol	Ambient, Frozen (picked in Andover), Chilled, Meat and Produce	GXO Logistics
Castlewood RDC	Mansfield, Derbyshire	Ambient, Frozen (picked in Lea Green), Chilled, Meat and Produce	Co-op SCL
Lea Green RDC & Frozen Hub	St Helens, Merseyside	Ambient, Frozen, Chilled, Meat and Produce	GXO Logistics
Newhouse RDC & Frozen Hub	Lanarkshire, Scotland	Ambient, Frozen, Chilled, Meat and Produce	Co-op SCL
Thurrock RDC	West Thurrock, Essex	Ambient, Frozen (picked in Biggleswade), Chilled, Meat and Produce	Co-op SCL
Biggleswade RDC & Frozen Hub	Biggleswade, Bedfordshire	Ambient, Frozen, Chilled, Meat and Produce	Co-op SCL
Coventry NDC	Coventry, West Midlands	Slow Moving Ambient and Tobacco	Eddie Stobart
Dalcross LSC	Inverness, Scotland	Local service centre for Northern Scotland	Co-op SCL
Carrickfergus LSC	County Antrim, Northern Ireland	Local service centre for Northern Ireland	Co-op SCL
Plymouth LSC	Plymouth, Devon	Local service centre for South Western England	Co-op SCL
Wellingborough RDC	Wellingborough, Northamptonshire	Ambient, Frozen (picked in Biggleswade), Chilled, Meat and Produce	Wincanton

Membership

Members of The Co-operative Group and participating regional societies earn one membership point for every £1 spent at The Co-operative Food. Points are converted into dividend at a rate agreed annually by the Board.^[7]

In September 2016, The Co-operative Group launched a new membership, decreasing the amount members earn from 5% to 2%, and increasing the amount spent on charity from 1% to 2%.

In July 2024, The Co-operative rebranded their slogan to "Owned By You. Right By You", placing greater emphasis on member ownership.^[8]

Product ranges

Co-op Food ranges currently are (as of September 2023^[update]):

Co-op – standard own brand range
Irresistible – premium food and drink
Free From – suitable for customers with food allergies
Gro – Plant-based own brand range
Honest Value – Low price range

Co-op Food ranges formerly were:

Loved By Us – standard own brand range
Truly Irresistible – premium food and drink
Home Baking – home baking range
Simply Value – low price range

In November 2020, the "Honest Value" range was launched as a lower priced range.^[9]

Animal welfare

Co-op receives frequent media coverage around animal abuse within its supply chain. In February 2021, undercover footage taken at a salmon supplier for the Co-op showed fish being incorrectly stunned with many killed while fully conscious. The Co-op suspended the supplier.^[10]

In July 2021, an investigation into three chicken farms in the Co-op supply chain found birds had died of thirst while carcasses were left to rot among the living. Chickens crammed into "filthy, overcrowded" sheds resorted to cannibalism, and many suffered ammonia burns.^[11]

In August 2022, workers were caught abusing ducks at an intensive farm producing eggs for the Co-op. Birds were swung by the necks and bins were filled with dead ducks.^[12]

In July 2023, footage emerged showing chickens being crushed to death and run over at a Lincolnshire farm that supplies the Co-op. It also appeared to show the birds struggling with severe injuries, while one can be seen crawling across the floor with broken legs.^[13]

In August 2023, chickens were found "collapsing in agony, deformed and dying" at multiple farms supplying the Co-op. The footage captured birds panting from heat and stress, while dirty floors left the birds lying in their own waste.^[14]

In December 2023, it was reported that ducks destined for Co-op and other British supermarkets had been swung by the necks and slammed into draws. A video showed workers mistreating animals in an intensive farm.^[15]

In February 2024, a BBC investigation found 37% of chickens sold by Co-op had chemical burns caused by ammonia in excrement. They described the situation as "a sign of poorer welfare on farms".^[16]

Delivery robots

Starting in March 2020 Starship Technologies delivery robots can deliver goods directly to customers from stores in Cambourne, Milton Keynes and Leeds areas of the UK.^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21]^[22]^[23]