London Co-operative Society: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Former consumer co-operative in London, England}} |
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The '''London Co-operative Society''' was a [[consumer co-operative]] society in the [[United Kingdom]]. |
The '''London Co-operative Society''' (LCS) was a [[consumer co-operative]] society in the [[United Kingdom]]. |
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== History == |
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The Society was formed in September 1920 by the amalgamation of the Stratford Co-operative Society and the Edmonton Co-operative Society, two of the largest societies in the [[London]] Metropolitan area, forming the largest retail co-operative society in the United Kingdom.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Mylles|first=James|date=January 1921|title=Labour and Co-operative Headquarters for London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IuxFAQAAMAAJ&dq=london+co-operative+society&pg=PA341|journal=Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers Monthly Journal|location=Manchester, Britain|pages=341|via=Google Books}}</ref> Initially, the LCS headquarters were located at 54 Maryland Street, [[Stratford, London|Stratford]], E.15.<ref name=":0" /> A key agreement reached with the [[London Trades Council]] and [[London Labour Party]] led to a plan to develop in [[Central London]] a meeting centre consisting of restaurant, general store, club and hall accommodations to address an unmet need of the city.<ref name=":0" /> |
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⚫ | In 1921, the LCS was also joined by the [[West London Society]], the Kingston Society and the Co-operative Brotherhood Trust. In addition, the Society also took over two branches of the Staines [[Co-operative Party]]. The consolidation of co-operative societies in the Greater London area continued until 1938, with the absorption of Hendon Co-operative Society in 1925, the North West London Co-operative Society in 1928, the Epping Co-operative Society in 1929, the Yiewsley Co-operative Society in 1931, the Willesden Junction Railway Society in 1935 and the Radlett Co-operative Society in 1938. Hence, the LCS was able to extend its area of the counties of [[Middlesex]], [[Essex]], [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Surrey]]. The company's [[general manager]] through part of this period (1924–1933) was Sidney Foster, who in 1933 went on to manage the [[Milk Marketing Board]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21885708/milk_board_chairman/|title=Milk Board Chairman Mr. Sidney Foster Assurance to the Customer|last=<!--no byline-->|date=8 September 1933|work=The Manchester Guardian|access-date=15 July 2018|location=London|via=Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra)}}</ref> |
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⚫ | The LCS played a large part in the national [[co-operative]] movement and was a member of the national and regional organisations, chief of which being the [[Co-operative Union]] to which the LCS subscribed. The LCS was also a shareholding member of the English [[The Co-operative Group|Co-operative Wholesale Society]], generally known as the CWS, a federal wholesaling organisation for co-operative societies in [[England]] and [[Wales]] |
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By 1946, LCS had reached a membership of 832,670 members, the highest of any of Britain's co-operatives, and had an annual revenue of {{GBP|19 million}}.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=<!--no byline-->|date=March 1946|title=Half the Families in Co-ops|url=https://archive.org/stream/McGillLibrary-mac_the-macdonald-college-journal_000431638-v6-1945-46-07-4350/mac_the-macdonald-college-journal_000431638-v6-1945-46-07#page/n11/mode/2up|department=Co-operation and Marketing|journal=Macdonald College Journal|location=Canada|volume=6|issue=7|pages=10|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Also in 1946, LCS acquired 200 Oxford Street in London, which had been the headquarters of the [[BBC Overseas Service]] since 1941; LCS moved its headquarters into the building in 1949.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21898359/coop_to_take_over_hq_of_bbc_in_london/|title=Co-Op To Take Over Headquarters Of BBC In London|last=Cribbens|first=Norman|date=8 April 1949|work=The Nanaimo Daily Free Press|access-date=15 July 2018|location=Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada|page=5|via=Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra)}}</ref> |
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The Society was amalgamated with [[Co-operative Retail Services]] in 1981. |
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By 1952, the LCS and its associated co-operative organisations, the major being the London Co-operative Chemists Limited, had over 550 establishments of sales and services, varying from large department stores to small grocery shops. |
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⚫ | Politically, the Society has also had a major impact. In the interwar years, the LCS Political Committee played an important role in winning Londoners over to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], mobilising people behind co-operative ideals, and shaping policy at a national level, working as part of the national [[Co-operative Party]]. |
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By 1963, the London Society was noted as being the largest co-operative of its kind in the world, which was led by [[John Stonehouse]] as President at the time, who also served as a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Member of parliament#United Kingdom|Member of Parliament]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21886138/keeping_coops_out_of_the_red/|title=Keeping Co-ops out of the Red|last=<!--no byline-->|date=24 February 1963|work=The Observer|access-date=15 July 2018|department=Daylight by Pendennis|location=London|via=Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra)}}</ref> |
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⚫ | At the 1945 election, all 11 LCS-sponsored candidates were elected, including [[Dan Chater]] in [[Bethnal Green North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Bethnal Green North East]], [[Percy Holman]] in [[Bethnal Green South West (UK Parliament constituency)|Bethnal Green South West]] and [[C.S.Ganley]] in [[Battersea South (UK Parliament constituency)|Battersea South]]. [[Alfred Barnes (Labour politician)|Alfred Barnes]], also elected for [[East Ham South (UK Parliament constituency)|East Ham South]], even became a Cabinet Minister in the [[Clement Attlee|Attlee]] administration after 1945. |
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In 1981, [[Co-operative Retail Services]] acquired LCS, which had been losing millions of pounds.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Building Co-operation|last1=Wilson|first1=John F.|last2=Webster|first2=Anthony|last3=Vorberg-Rugh|first3=Rachael|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2013|isbn=9780199655113|pages=285}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In the post-war world, it continued as an important campaigning force, providing key organisational backing for mass movements like [[Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]], Anti-Apartheid, supporting the fight against the [[Vietnam War]] and campaigns during the miner's strikes, and generally at the forefront of the campaign for peace, co-operation and socialism. A political presence was also maintained in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] through the work of MPs, such as [[Stan Newens]] and [[Laurie Pavitt]]. Alf Lomas (the former Secretary of the London Co-op Political Committee) was also an MEP and Leader of the British Labour Group of MEPs. |
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== Operations and influence == |
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⚫ | The LCS played a large part in the national [[co-operative]] movement and was a member of the national and regional organisations, chief of which being the [[Co-operative Union]] to which the LCS subscribed. The LCS was also a shareholding member of the English [[The Co-operative Group|Co-operative Wholesale Society]], generally known as the CWS, a federal wholesaling organisation for co-operative societies in [[England]] and [[Wales]]. |
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⚫ | 1950s-era establishments consisted of grocers, butchers, fruit, vegetable and [[flower seller]]s, coal depots, furniture sellers, drapers, tailors, footwear sellers, chemists, laundries, estate agencies, funeral services and even guesthouses.[[File:Puxton dairy.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Former London Co-operative Society [[creamery]] and railhead for [[British Railway Milk Tank Wagon|milk trains]] at [[Puxton and Worle railway station|Puxton]], [[Somerset]] on the [[Bristol to Exeter line]]]] |
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⚫ | LCS administered many manufacturing and processing establishments. It had creameries located at various places in the [[West Country]], including [[Puxton]], [[Somerset]] which served as a regional railhead, product from which was transported via [[British Railway Milk Tank Wagon|milk trains]] to the main London creamery and distribution point at [[West Ealing railway station|West Ealing]]. |
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== Politics == |
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⚫ | Politically, the Society has also had a major impact. In the [[interwar years]], the LCS Political Committee played an important role in winning Londoners over to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], mobilising people behind co-operative ideals, and shaping policy at a national level, working as part of the national [[Co-operative Party]]. |
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In 1938, LCS initiated a [[boycott]] against Japanese goods, encouraging the [[Cooperative Wholesale Society]] to follow its example.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21897689/british_boycott_action_by_lcs/|title=A British Boycott: Action by London Co-operative Society|last=<!--no byline-->|date=11 January 1938|work=The Age|access-date=15 July 2018|location=Melbourne, Victoria, Australia|page=9|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> |
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⚫ | At the 1945 election, all 11 LCS-sponsored candidates were elected, including [[Dan Chater]] in [[Bethnal Green North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Bethnal Green North East]], [[Percy Holman]] in [[Bethnal Green South West (UK Parliament constituency)|Bethnal Green South West]] and [[C.S.Ganley]] in [[Battersea South (UK Parliament constituency)|Battersea South]]. [[Alfred Barnes (Labour politician)|Alfred Barnes]], also elected for [[East Ham South (UK Parliament constituency)|East Ham South]], even became a Cabinet Minister in the [[Clement Attlee|Attlee]] administration after 1945. |
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⚫ | In the post-war world, it continued as an important campaigning force, providing key organisational backing for mass movements like [[Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]], Anti-Apartheid, supporting the fight against the [[Vietnam War]] and campaigns during the miner's strikes, and generally at the forefront of the campaign for peace, co-operation and socialism. A political presence was also maintained in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] through the work of MPs, such as [[Stan Newens]] and [[Laurie Pavitt]]. [[Alf Lomas]] (the former Secretary of the London Co-op Political Committee) was also an MEP and Leader of the British Labour Group of MEPs. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{Defunct UK grocers}} |
{{Defunct UK grocers}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Former co-operatives of the United Kingdom]] |
[[Category:Former co-operatives of the United Kingdom]] |
Latest revision as of 05:05, 27 April 2023
The London Co-operative Society (LCS) was a consumer co-operative society in the United Kingdom.
History
[edit]The Society was formed in September 1920 by the amalgamation of the Stratford Co-operative Society and the Edmonton Co-operative Society, two of the largest societies in the London Metropolitan area, forming the largest retail co-operative society in the United Kingdom.[1] Initially, the LCS headquarters were located at 54 Maryland Street, Stratford, E.15.[1] A key agreement reached with the London Trades Council and London Labour Party led to a plan to develop in Central London a meeting centre consisting of restaurant, general store, club and hall accommodations to address an unmet need of the city.[1]
In 1921, the LCS was also joined by the West London Society, the Kingston Society and the Co-operative Brotherhood Trust. In addition, the Society also took over two branches of the Staines Co-operative Party. The consolidation of co-operative societies in the Greater London area continued until 1938, with the absorption of Hendon Co-operative Society in 1925, the North West London Co-operative Society in 1928, the Epping Co-operative Society in 1929, the Yiewsley Co-operative Society in 1931, the Willesden Junction Railway Society in 1935 and the Radlett Co-operative Society in 1938. Hence, the LCS was able to extend its area of the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey. The company's general manager through part of this period (1924–1933) was Sidney Foster, who in 1933 went on to manage the Milk Marketing Board.[2]
By 1946, LCS had reached a membership of 832,670 members, the highest of any of Britain's co-operatives, and had an annual revenue of £19 million.[3] Also in 1946, LCS acquired 200 Oxford Street in London, which had been the headquarters of the BBC Overseas Service since 1941; LCS moved its headquarters into the building in 1949.[4]
By 1952, the LCS and its associated co-operative organisations, the major being the London Co-operative Chemists Limited, had over 550 establishments of sales and services, varying from large department stores to small grocery shops.
By 1963, the London Society was noted as being the largest co-operative of its kind in the world, which was led by John Stonehouse as President at the time, who also served as a Labour Member of Parliament.[5]
In 1981, Co-operative Retail Services acquired LCS, which had been losing millions of pounds.[6]
Operations and influence
[edit]The LCS played a large part in the national co-operative movement and was a member of the national and regional organisations, chief of which being the Co-operative Union to which the LCS subscribed. The LCS was also a shareholding member of the English Co-operative Wholesale Society, generally known as the CWS, a federal wholesaling organisation for co-operative societies in England and Wales.
1950s-era establishments consisted of grocers, butchers, fruit, vegetable and flower sellers, coal depots, furniture sellers, drapers, tailors, footwear sellers, chemists, laundries, estate agencies, funeral services and even guesthouses.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Puxton_dairy.jpg/250px-Puxton_dairy.jpg)
LCS administered many manufacturing and processing establishments. It had creameries located at various places in the West Country, including Puxton, Somerset which served as a regional railhead, product from which was transported via milk trains to the main London creamery and distribution point at West Ealing.
Politics
[edit]Politically, the Society has also had a major impact. In the interwar years, the LCS Political Committee played an important role in winning Londoners over to the Labour Party, mobilising people behind co-operative ideals, and shaping policy at a national level, working as part of the national Co-operative Party.
In 1938, LCS initiated a boycott against Japanese goods, encouraging the Cooperative Wholesale Society to follow its example.[7]
At the 1945 election, all 11 LCS-sponsored candidates were elected, including Dan Chater in Bethnal Green North East, Percy Holman in Bethnal Green South West and C.S.Ganley in Battersea South. Alfred Barnes, also elected for East Ham South, even became a Cabinet Minister in the Attlee administration after 1945.
In the post-war world, it continued as an important campaigning force, providing key organisational backing for mass movements like Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Anti-Apartheid, supporting the fight against the Vietnam War and campaigns during the miner's strikes, and generally at the forefront of the campaign for peace, co-operation and socialism. A political presence was also maintained in the House of Commons through the work of MPs, such as Stan Newens and Laurie Pavitt. Alf Lomas (the former Secretary of the London Co-op Political Committee) was also an MEP and Leader of the British Labour Group of MEPs.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mylles, James (January 1921). "Labour and Co-operative Headquarters for London". Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers Monthly Journal. Manchester, Britain: 341 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Milk Board Chairman Mr. Sidney Foster Assurance to the Customer". The Manchester Guardian. London. 8 September 1933. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra).
- ^ "Half the Families in Co-ops". Co-operation and Marketing. Macdonald College Journal. 6 (7). Canada: 10. March 1946 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Cribbens, Norman (8 April 1949). "Co-Op To Take Over Headquarters Of BBC In London". The Nanaimo Daily Free Press. Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. p. 5. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra).
- ^ "Keeping Co-ops out of the Red". Daylight by Pendennis. The Observer. London. 24 February 1963. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra).
- ^ Wilson, John F.; Webster, Anthony; Vorberg-Rugh, Rachael (2013). Building Co-operation. Oxford University Press. p. 285. ISBN 9780199655113.
- ^ "A British Boycott: Action by London Co-operative Society". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 11 January 1938. p. 9. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- Collection Description of the London Co-operative Society archive, held at the Bishopsgate Institute, London
Other London-area consumer co-operative societies
[edit]- Former co-operatives of the United Kingdom
- Defunct companies of the United Kingdom
- Consumers' co-operatives of the United Kingdom
- Retail companies established in 1920
- Defunct department stores of the United Kingdom
- Retail companies disestablished in 1981
- 1920 establishments in the United Kingdom
- 1981 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
- Shops in London