The Co-operative Group, trading as the Co-op, is a British consumer co-operative with a diverse family of retail businesses including food retail and wholesale; e-pharmacy; insurance; legal services and funeral care. It is the largest consumer co-operative in the UK and owned by its members. The Co-operative Group has over 70,000 employees across the UK.
The Co-operative Group has its origins in the North of England where, from 1844, several independent societies formed to open member-owned shops selling food items such as flour and oatmeal. These societies eventually merged to form the North of England Cooperative Society, which grew steadily throughout the remainder of the 19th century.
In 1863, twenty years after the Rochdale Pioneers opened their cooperative shop, the North of England Cooperative Society was founded. By 1872, it had become known as The Cooperative Wholesale Society (CWS) and had expanded into Lancashire and Yorkshire. In addition to food, CWS members could buy coal, insurance, and other goods.
In 1918, CWS joined with another large cooperative society, The Co-operative Retail Society Limited (CRS), to form The Co-operative Group. The new organization had over 2 million members and 3,500 retail outlets. It continued to grow in size and scope throughout the 20th century.
The Co-operative Group is owned by its members through a shareholding structure. Members can trade their shares for cash or use them to buy goods and services from any of the Group’s businesses. As of 2019, there were over 4 million members.
Is co-op owned by Tesco?
No, The Co-operative Group is not owned by Tesco.
