Co-operative Food

Co-op Food

A rebranded Co-op Food store in Shoreditch
Product type	Groceries retailer
Owner	Brand managed by The Co-operative Group
Country	United Kingdom
Introduced	23 July 1850
Markets	4,050+ stores across the UK
Website	www.coop.co.uk/food

Co-op Food, previously branded as The co-operative food, is a brand devised for the food retail business of the consumer co-operative movement in the United Kingdom. When looking at food retail, the brand is commonly understood to represent one food retail business, though this is not true as it is used by over 15 different co-operative societies which operate over 4,000 outlets. Successor to Co-op Welcome and a range of regional formats, the latest version of the brand was introduced in 2016 with a significant advertising campaign. Customers of many of the larger UK co-operative societies can earn an annual share of the profits at any "Co-operative" branded stores in proportion to purchases through The Co-operative Membership scheme.

In 2016, The Co-operative Food accounted for approximately 6.6% of the UK grocery market and was the winner of "convenience retailer of the year" at the 2016 Retail Industry Awards. The Cooperative Retail Group is expanding and will create 1,500 new jobs and open 100 new stores in 2017.

Whilst the UK co-operative sector's market share of food retail has diminished from a peak of 30% in the 1950s to just 6.4% today, the largest business in the UK co-operative movement - The Co-operative Group - remains the fifth largest food retailer in the United Kingdom. The "Co-op" brand is used by over 3,500 stores owned by the various societies which make up the co-operative movement, including the Central England Co-operative and the Midcounties Co-operative, but the brand is most associated with The Co-operative Group as it operates significantly the largest number of stores. A number of co-operative societies including Scotmid and the Lincolnshire Co-operative do not use the standard brand, preferring instead to use the 1992 'cloverleaf version' of The Co-operative brand. In 2016, The Co-operative Group reverted to the use of its 1968 Co-op cloverleaf branding.

Co-op stores are of various sizes incorporating convenience stores and supermarkets, and the brand has the biggest geographical spread of any retailer, with a store in every postal region of the UK. The vast majority of products sold in "Co-op Food" stores are sourced collectively through the Co-operative Retail Trading Group although stocking decisions and pricing are determined by the individual businesses. The Co-operative Group, which manages the 'Retail Trading Group' took the decision not to compete head-on with the Big Four supermarket multiples purely on price in a market that was becoming ever more competitive. The co-operative movement has largely decided to concentrate instead on smaller convenience stores in local communities and also to market the "co-operative difference" and the ethical stance that the Retail Trading Group has taken on sourcing, having long been a supporter of Fairtrade, renewable energy and higher animal welfare standards.