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{{Short description|Former retail co-operative in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{distinguish|Norco milk}}
{{Location map
|UK Scotland |relief=1
|label= | marksize=9
|mark=Blue_pog.svg
Line 10 ⟶ 14:
|caption=Aberdeen is Scotland's 3rd largest city
}}
 
'''Northern Co-operative Society Limited''' (abbreviated to '''Norco)'''), previously named '''Northern Co-operative Company Limited''', was a local [[consumer co-operative]] trading in [[Aberdeen]], [[Scotland]], from 1861 to 1993.<ref name="archive">{{Cite web
|url=http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ACCI/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.asp?lID=13278&sID=1689
|title=NORCO - Records of the Northern Co-operative Society
|publisher=Aberdeen City Archives
}}{{dead link|date=July 2016}}</ref><ref name="guardian">{{Cite news
|url=http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&res_dat=xri:pqil:res_ver=0.2&res_id=xri:newsuk&rft_id=xri:newsuk:newsart:69381430
|title=Scottish co-op calls in receiver
|work=[[The Guardian]]
|date=1993-06-18 June 1993▼
|publisher=via Proquest News UK
▲|date=1993-06-18
|author=Seumas Milne
|accessdate=4 July 2008-07-04
|via=ProQuest
}}</ref>
It operated supermarkets and other businesses throughout Aberdeenshire, and employed 2000 people in 1992.
 
It was put into liquidationthe inhands of a [[1993Receiver (legal)|receiver]] for [[liquidation]] in 1993, as a result of financial difficulties that ''The Guardian'' newspaper attributed to “an"an over-ambitious building and development programme”programme" and failed attempts to selldispose of the entire business as a [[going concern]], despite the successful sale of its dairy, five pharmacies, and then several supermarkets to [[Argyll Stores]] and the [[The Co-operative Group|Co-operative Wholesale Society]] (CWS).<ref name="archive" /><ref name="guardian" />
 
==History==
[[ImageFile:Sainsburys Berryden Superstore Aberdeen by Stanley Howe.jpg‎ jpg|thumb|250px|Scottish Co-op sold Norco's Berryden superstore to [[J Sainsbury]], still as a going concern, in 2000.<ref name="grocer" /><ref>{{Cite news
|url=http://www.ukbusinesspark.co.uk/bpreta00.htm
|title=retailing UK News 2000
|date=2000-09-12 September 2000
|publisher=UK Business Park
}}</ref><ref>
{{Cite web
|url=http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/acc_data/committee%20reports/cs_res_r2l_030923.pdf
|title=Retail Study Report
|date=2003-09-23 September 2003
|publisher=[[Aberdeen City Council]] Resources Management Committee
|quote=Sainsbury's have taken over the Scottish Co-op superstore at Berryden
|pages=5
|author=Bob Reid
|access-date=8 July 2008
}}</ref>]]▼
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040430194015/http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/acc_data/committee%20reports/cs_res_r2l_030923.pdf
Norco was formed in [[1861]] as Northern Co-operative Company, by two committees of Aberdeen residents who planned to follow the example of the [[Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society]].<ref name="archive" /> ▼
|archive-date=30 April 2004
|url-status=dead
|df=dmy-all
}}▼
▲}}</ref>]]
▲Norco was formed in [[1861]] as Northern Co-operative Company, by two committees of Aberdeen residents who planned to follow the example of the [[Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society]].<ref name="archive" />
The first shop was a grocery business at 51 Gallowgate, opened in July that year.<ref name="archive" /> The original company had a fixed capital of £1000, but in 1917, it converted into Northern Co-operative Society.<ref name="archive" />
 
The Society's headquarters were in a large building on Loch Street, which contained the company's offices as well as an arcade-style shopping area. It was described in 2000 as "like [[Covent Garden|Convent Garden]] ''(sic)'' – a delightful, quaint area at the centre of the city where people could stroll" by Connie Leith, head of the Ferryhill Heritage Society.<ref name="heritage" />
Norco House, a large [[department store]] that replaced several smaller non-food stores, was opened in George Street in 1970.<ref name="archive" /> ▼
 
▲Norco House, a large [[department store]] thatwhich replaced severalthe smallerLoch non-foodStreet storesbuilding, was opened in George Street in 1970, less than 100 feet from the original building.<ref name="archive" />
The trading name of Norco was soon adopted by the entire co-operative.<ref name="archive" />
The "space-age" four storey Norco House department store was later bought, refurbished and operated by the [[John Lewis (department store)|John Lewis]] employee-owned chain.<ref name="heritage">{{Cite news
|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:APJB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F6D23FDD9AAC29D&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB57AB53DF815
|title=PULL THEM ALL DOWN: Heritage chief blasts the city's 60s eyesores
|author=SeumasDavid MilneEwen▼
|work=[[Aberdeen Press and Journal]]
|date=24 June 2000
|publisher=[[NewsBank]] via Europe Intelligence Wire
}}</ref>
The old Loch Street building remained empty and slowly deteriorated until its eventual demolition in 1986.
 
In 1977, itNorco opened a {{convert|54000|sqft|-2}} flagship [[superstore]] in the [[Berryden]] district of Aberdeen.<ref name="archive" /><ref name="grocer">{{Cite news
|quote=Sainsbury has purchased the 53,600sq ft store at Berryden,Aberdeen
|title=MORE CWS SUPERSTORES SOLD
|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5245/is_200009is_7471_223/ai_n28793251/ai_n19863677
|work=[[The Grocer]]
|publisher=via Find Articles at BNET
|date=2000-09-16 September 2000
}}</ref><ref name="press2000">{{Cite news
|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:APJB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F6D242E0140AD02&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB57AB53DF815
|title=Co-op's shock sell-off threatens 200 city jobs
|work=[[Aberdeen Press and Journal]]
|date=27 June 2000
|page=6
|accessdate=14 August 2008
|author= Tim Pauling and Alastair McNeill
|publisher=[[NewsBank]] via Europe Intelligence Wire
}}</ref>
The Berryden store was sold to the “ScottishScottish Co-op″ retail division of CWSop in 1993, immediately before the liquidationreceivership, and operated by that co-operative for seven years.<ref name="archive" /><ref name="press2000" /><ref>In 1993, Scottish Co-op was a retail division of the [[The Co-operative Group|Co-operative Wholesale Society]], from 2001 the Co-operative Group.</ref>
 
In April 1992, Norco declared a loss of £7 million, and the chief executive, Robin Pollock, resigned.<ref name="archive" /><ref name="press2000" />
Emergency measures included thea massive sell-off of businesses, and a pay freeze.<ref name="archive" />
Kennerty Dairies (since bought by [[Robert Wiseman Dairies]]) bought Norco's Berryden dairy, and [[Argyll Foods|Argyll Group]] bought supermarkets in [[Banchory]], [[Elgin, Moray|Elgin]], [[Ellon, Aberdeenshire|Ellon]] and [[Westhill, Aberdeenshire|Westhill]].<ref name="press2000" />
Finally, in 1993, the co-operativeNorco approached Scottish Co-op with a view to a rescue merger, but thisthe waslatter organization declined the request.<ref name="archive" /><ref name="guardian" />
 
==Operations and co-operative movement==
 
Norco was previously noted as the only large consumer co-operative in the UK not to be a member of the Scottish or English Co-operative Wholesale Societies.
 
It employed 2000 people in 1992, when the financial problems became apparent, and on going into receivership in June 1993, it had 800 employees.<ref name="guardian" />
 
Its trading area included the Aberdeenshire and [[Moray]] towns of [[InverurieBanchory]], [[PortElgin, ElphinstoneMoray|Elgin]], and[[Ellon, Aberdeenshire|Ellon]], [[Kemnay, Aberdeenshire|Kemnay]], and at its peak[[Inverurie]], had[[Port branchesElphinstone]] and departments[[Westhill, throughout the city of AberdeenAberdeenshire|Westhill]].<ref name="archive" /><ref name="press2000" />
At its peak it had branches and departments throughout the city of Aberdeen.<ref name="archive" />
Since the demise of Norco, the tradition of consumer co-operation in Aberdeenshire has been continued or revived by three southern organizations: [[Scotmid Co-operative]], [[Lothian, Borders & Angus Co-operative Society|Lothian, Borders & Angus Co-operative]] and Scottish Co-op (a retail division of CWS, now [[the Co-operative Group]].)
 
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{{reflist}}
 
{{Defunct UK grocers}}
==Further reading==
*{{Cite web
|url=http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ACCI/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.asp?lID=13278&sID=1689
|title=NORCO - Records of the Northern Co-operative Society
|publisher=Aberdeen City Archives
▲}}
*{{Cite news
|url=http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&res_dat=xri:pqil:res_ver=0.2&res_id=xri:newsuk&rft_id=xri:newsuk:newsart:69381430
|title=Scottish co-op calls in receiver
|work=[[The Guardian]]
|date=1993-06-18
▲|author=Seumas Milne
}}
 
[[Category:Companies based in Aberdeen]]
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[[Category:Defunct companies of Scotland]]
[[Category:Defunct retail companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:CompaniesRetail companies established in 1861]]
[[Category:1993Retail disestablishmentscompanies disestablished in 1993]]
[[Category:ConsumerConsumers' Coco-operatives of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct department stores of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1861 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:Co-operatives in Scotland]]
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