East of England Co-operative Society

East of England Co-operative Society Limited

Type	Consumer Co-operative
Founded	2005 (1858)
Headquarters	Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Products	Grocer, Funeral Director, Travel Agent, Ophthalmic Optician, Dispensing Chemist
Revenue	c. 400 million GBP
Members	276,879
Number of employees	5,000 (approx.)
Website	www.eastofengland.coop/

The East of England Co-operative Society is the fourth largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered industrial and provident society; headquartered in Ipswich and trading in the eastern counties of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, the Society is the area's largest independent retailer.

The East of England Co-operative Society is an amalgamation of smaller societies from across East Anglia which have joined together over the years. Most recently, the Colchester and East Essex Co-operative Society merged with the Ipswich and Norwich Co-operative Society in 2005.

The consumer co-operative movement has its roots in the early part of the nineteenth century and the principles of self-help and social equity that developed during the Victorian era. The first successful retail co-operative was established in 1844 by the Rochdale Pioneers. The Ipswich and Norwich Society was the product of an amalgamation, in 1993, of the Ipswich Co-operative Society (known as the Ipswich Industrial from 1868 to 1968 and incorporating, since 1991, the engagements of the former Stowmarket Society, established 1889) and the Norwich Co-operative Society (formed in 1858). The Colchester and East Essex Society was founded as Colchester Co-operative Society in 1861, expanding through merger with the following co-operative societies:

The Society operates convenience stores, pharmacies, opticians, funeral directors and travel agents. It previously ran a dairy with doorstep deliveries, but this was sold to Dairy Crest in early 2008 and their department stores and a jewellery store were sold to Vergo Retail in 2009. In 2010 their car dealerships were also sold to various owners.