All Co-operative Group articles
The Co-operative Group is the UK’s biggest mutual retailer. As well as running food retail and wholesale operations, is the country’s largest funeral business and probate provider. The Co-op was created in 1844 by the social entrepreneurs the ‘Rochdale Pioneers’, and the group was established 20 years later through the merger of various cooperative societies. Community initiatives include support for academy schools and the donation of 1% of members’ spend on own-brand products to local good causes.
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Retail Navigator Analysis
The Co-operative Food (Strategy)
Co-op Food managing director Matt Hood reveals plans for the next 10 years as it shapes its convenience strategy for the future. These include trialling dual purpose tills, as well as next-generation electronic shelf-edge labelling.
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Interview
Interview: Matt Hood – The man taking the Co-op back to the future
Hood has been with the Co-op for seven years and running its food business for more than two. He was promoted at a time of huge change at the Co-op, following a sustained period of success under former group chief executive Steve Murrells and Hood’s predecessor Jo Whitfield.
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Analysis
Revealed: The UK’s top grocery innovators and what’s key to their success
As the most competitive retail sector in the UK, nothing comes easy for the grocers, making innovation and transformation an essential part of supermarket strategies as they fight for share of wallet.
Here we reveal three of the winning grocery innovations explored in Retail Week’s latest report, The Grocery Innovators: Redefining Food Retail -
Data
Ranking: The most sustainable retailers according to shoppers
New data collected by Lumina Intelligence exclusively for Retail Week shows customers believe Marks & Spencer and Tesco are the most sustainable retailers.
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Analysis
Co-op chief executive and food boss count the costs of retail crime and give their outlook for Christmas
Following a strong set of results for the first half of the financial year, Co-op senior executives discuss the outlook for Christmas and the impact of retail crime on their business
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Retail Navigator Analysis
The Co-operative Food (Financials)
The Co-op reported a 1.9% decline in group sales, which includes its insurance and funeral businesses, to £11,262m for the 53-week period ended 6 January 2024 (FY2023). Retail food sales fell 7.0% to £7,262m driven “primarily by the sale of the petrol forecourt business”.
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News
Co-op is back in the black as membership numbers surge
C-store specialist Co-op has returned to profit and increased its revenues as its membership push resulted in a spike in new active members.
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News
Co-op has launched a 24-hour grocery delivery service as demand rises
The c-store specialist retailer has launched a 24-hour grocery delivery service in city-centre stores across three major cities as demand for quick commerce increases.
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News
Co-op has tripled its number of member deals till the end of the year
The Co-op has tripled the number of member deals as it launched more than 100 new value offers across brands and own-brand products until the end of the year.
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Retail Voice
How the Midcounties Co-operative is creating sustainable stores
Stores are retailers’ most critical assets, yet they often contribute significantly to energy consumption. For energy and sustainability teams in retail, reducing energy consumption requires understanding what drives it, as Ian Smithyman of LoweConex explains
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News
Co-op has set up a scheme to create over 600 apprenticeships in the early years sector
Co-op has set up a scheme to create over 600 apprenticeships for the early years sector spanning employers across the private, public, voluntary and community sectors who support the wellbeing of young children.
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Innovation of the Week
Innovation round-up: Hologram training, reviving the metaverse, palm payments and more
Here we bring you our summer roundup of innovations that caught our attention over the past three months.
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News
Airport retailers could see a boost in sales if global IT outage continues
Retailers operating in airports could end up receiving a boost in sales and footfall if the IT outage causing havoc around the world continues.
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News
Co-op has launched its ‘biggest ever campaign’ to reintroduce the cooperative model to shoppers
C-store specialist the Co-op has launched a multimillion-pound campaign to “encourage the UK into [becoming] a nation of cooperators”.
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Innovation of the Week
Co-op commits to closing socioeconomic pay gap
Innovation of the Week is a subscriber-only series highlighting retail initiatives that have caught the eye of our team.
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News
Co-op and Walmart launch technology partnership
C-store specialist the Co-op has entered into a technology partnership with US retail giant Walmart, implementing its Store Assist online fulfilment technology.
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Analysis
Retail cabinet: What would government look like if retailers ran the country?
As the country casts its votes in the general election, Retail Week imagines what a cabinet made up of bold and capable retail leaders might look like
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News
Co-op research reveals retail media is boosting its sales ‘fourfold’
New research released by the Co-op shows that convenience retail media is giving sales across the business and surrounding grocery stores up to a “fourfold” increase.
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Data
What the latest market share data tells us about the UK grocery sector
Retail Week sits down with Kantar’s head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt to look at the implications for the grocery sector from the latest market share data
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News
Co-op expands locker partnership with InPost
C-store specialist the Co-op has expanded its in-store parcel locker tie-up with InPost and is looking to triple the number of lockers across its store estate.