OurCoop shortlisted for two Retail Week Awards
OurCoop has been shortlisted in two categories at the Retail Week Awards, recognising the Society’s work to support local communities and reduce our environmental impact.
The nominations celebrate two important areas of OurCoop’s work: The Fairer Futures Programme, which helps young people into employment, and the Society’s green energy projects, which are reducing emissions across our estate while supporting community-owned renewable energy.
Supporting young people through The Fairer Futures Programme
OurCoop has been shortlisted for Community Heroes of the Year for The Fairer Futures Programme, delivered at our Walsall town centre store in partnership with social enterprise Miss Macaroon.
The programme supports young people facing barriers to employment, including anxiety, disability, low confidence or extended periods out of work. By bringing mentoring, counselling, accredited learning and practical work experience into a familiar community setting, it helps participants build confidence, develop skills and take steps towards sustainable employment.
Over the past 12 months, 35 young people have started the programme. Of these, 33 achieved a Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification, 26 completed the full programme and gained a BTEC Level 1 work skills qualification, and 22 moved into employment. Nineteen secured roles with OurCoop, with a further three finding jobs with other local employers.
The programme also makes a difference beyond employment, with 93% of participants reporting increased confidence and 56% reporting improved mental health.
Since launching in 2023, The Fairer Futures Programme has supported more than 112 young people, with 66 progressing into employment.
Making progress towards a greener future
OurCoop has also been shortlisted for Green Initiative of the Year, recognising our work to increase renewable energy generation, reduce energy consumption and support communities to develop their own clean-energy projects.
Solar panels are now installed at more than 130 OurCoop sites, generating around 4.7 GWh of renewable electricity over the past 12 months and avoiding more than 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Alongside this, a long-term renewable electricity agreement linked to the London Array offshore wind farm, led by OurCoop on behalf of a consortium of five independent co-operatives, is helping secure renewable power. Together, wind power purchase agreements and on-site solar generation now supply 22% of OurCoop’s energy use.
The Society is also improving energy efficiency across our food stores. Remote monitoring and automation technology introduced with LoweConex across more than 200 stores has reduced energy use by 2.5 GWh and carbon emissions by more than 400 tonnes since 2024, while saving approximately £500,000 a year in electricity costs.
Through Younity, our joint venture with Octopus Energy, OurCoop also supports nearly 100 community energy organisations and nearly 350 community energy projects, helping communities access the support and resources needed to develop locally owned renewable energy.
Both shortlists reflect how OurCoop puts its co-operative values into action: supporting people to build better futures, helping communities thrive and taking practical steps towards a more sustainable future.
The Retail Week Awards celebrate achievement across the retail sector, recognising the people, projects and initiatives making a difference.
We look forward to the awards and celebrating the colleagues and partners whose work is helping make a positive difference in our communities.