Midlands Co-operative Society
 | |
| Company type | Consumer Co-operative |
|---|---|
| Industrie | Retail, Funeral and Motors |
| Gegründet | April 1995  |
| Hauptsitz | Midlands House, Hermes Road, Lichfield, Staffs. WS13 6RH , 999,184 (2013) United Kingdom |
Area served | English Midlands |
Key people | John Maltby, President Martyn Cheatle, Chief Executive |
| Revenue | £670m (2013) |
| Mitglieder | 999,184 (2013) |
Number of employees | 7,500 (2013) |
| Website | midlands.coop |
Midlands Co-operative Society Limited is a regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society,[1] a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a corporate member of Co-operative Group Ltd. (formerly Co-operative Wholesale Society), the largest consumer co-operative in the world.
Since the merger of The Co-operative Group and United Co-operatives in 2007, it is now the second-largest co-operative in the UK. As its name suggests, the Society operates predominately in the English Midlands. Head office is located at Lichfield in Staffordshire.
History
The Society traces its origins to the Derby Co-operative Society which, in 1854, was one of the first co-operatives in the Midlands. In 1969, a number of Leicestershire societies merged to form the Leicestershire Co-operative Society Limited. Similar circumstances occurred in 1985 across Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Birmingham forming the Central Midlands Co-operative Society Limited. In 1995, the boards of the Leicestershire and Central Midlands Societies, which were financially sound and trading profitably, agreed to merge. Since 1854, 72 separate mergers between different societies have been undertaken to form today's Midlands Co-operative.
The Chesterfield Co-operative Society was absorbed by the Society in 2001, Ilkeston Co-operative Society in 2006, Raunds Co-operative Society in 2007 and Moulton Co-operative Society in 2009.[2]
On 1 December 2013, the Midlands Co-operative Society merged with Anglia Regional Co-operative Society.[3]
Services
Membership is open to all residents of the Society's trading area, with members receiving a share of the profits in the form of dividend.
- Food retailing
The Society operates over 200 food stores and forecourts throughout its trading area. All are now rebranded as The Co-operative Food, mirroring branding from The Co-operative Group.
- Funeral directors
Midlands Co-operative Funeral Services operate some 90 funeral homes throughout the region.
- Fashion & Home retailing
The Society no longer operates its department stores, having closed the stores in 2013.
- Motors
The Society operates light-commercial vehicle servicing garages and MoT testing stations in Leicester and Loughborough. It also has a single Suzuki car franchise in Kettering and operates as The Co-operative Motor Group in Lincoln with Mazda, Citreon, Renault, Jeep, Chrysler and Harley Davidson franchises.
See also
References
- ^ Registered in England and Wales under the Companies Act 1985, No. 10143R
- ^ "Midlands Co-operative Society Limited, number 10143R". Mutuals Public register. FSA. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
- ^ "Midlands and Anglia Co-operative Societies merge". Midlands Co-operative Society. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
External links
- Midlands Co-operative Society
- Error in Webarchive template: Empty url. – the former Ilkeston Co-op site in 2005