Emma Bedford
Senior Team Lead Food & Agriculture
The Co-operative Group - statistics and facts
The Co-operative Group, commonly known as the Co-op throughout the United Kingdom (UK), is one of the world's largest consumer co-operative retail federations. The Co-op’s membership numbers have grown in recent years to around five million active members. Consumer cooperatives are a form of retailer owned by individuals that give their members a share in the business, the possibility to influence how it is run, and exclusive discounts. The Co-operative Group owns a variety of branded businesses, including the Co-operative Food, Funeralcare, and Legal Services.
If the retailer continues to have a consumer focus, whether it be through its membership scheme, increased delivery options, or sustainable practices, the Co-op has the potential to hold on to its current ranking in the UK grocery market.
The heart of the business: Co-op Food
The group's food retailing business, which operates as Co-op Food, brings in, by far, the most revenue of all the divisions. While decreasing in recent years, Co-op Food’s annual revenue has continuously exceeded the seven billion British pounds mark. A similar downward trend can be seen in the number of Co-op Food stores. The Co-op operates in a fiercely competitive grocery market in the UK, with retailers nipping at each other’s heels to climb the ranks in a tough economic environment. At the end of 2020, Lidl overtook the Co-op to become the retailer with the sixth-largest market share. Since then, the Co-op’s market share has fluctuated between 6.6 and 5.3 percent.Can a pandemic favorite stay relevant?
The Co-op Food business thrived in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2020, sales growth hit an all-time high of almost 35 percent when compared to the previous year. Growth has since subsided, yet remains mostly positive. Since then, the Co-op has been trying out another route to success in the food market: omnichannel retail. By cooperating with Just Eat, the Co-op aims to have a 30 percent share of the quick commerce convenience market by 2026. As well as aiming high in the omnichannel world, the Co-op is working on sustainable practices high on consumer wish lists. Over the past eight years, they have successfully reduced the amount of food waste they produce and increased the volume of waste reused or recycled to almost 100 percent.If the retailer continues to have a consumer focus, whether it be through its membership scheme, increased delivery options, or sustainable practices, the Co-op has the potential to hold on to its current ranking in the UK grocery market.
