OurCoop Society launches: creating a purpose-led family of businesses
This launch marks the start of a journey, with the new Society inviting Members, colleagues and communities to help shape the future.
Our new co-operative Society has launched, bringing together a family of established co-operative businesses to create a stronger, purpose-led organisation serving Members, colleagues and communities across the UK.
OurCoop brings together Central Co-op, Midcounties and Chelmsford Star, building on more than 150 years of shared co-operative values that shape how we are governed, how decisions are made and how value is shared. Our new Society provides a stronger platform to invest, compete and support the long-term growth of co-operative businesses, while remaining firmly member-owned.
As a family of co-operative businesses, value generated through trading creates surpluses, which are reinvested to reward Members, meet more of their needs over time and strengthen the places and causes people care about. This creates a virtuous circle of co-operation, generating value together and reinvesting it to deliver long-term benefit for Members, colleagues and communities.
Debbie Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of OurCoop, said: “Our new Society brings together co-operative businesses that support people through everyday life and life’s bigger moments – from feeding families and caring for children, to keeping the lights on, helping people travel and supporting them through difficult times.
“By coming together, we can offer our Members an even greater breadth of products and services that meet their needs. We have the scale and connection to generate more value through our businesses, reinvest it for the long term and return more of that value to Members in ways that matter. That’s the power of co-operation – a system where participation creates benefit and the more Members participate and trade with us, the greater the impact we can have together.”
By working together, the Society can better understand and meet Members’ needs, help meet more of them over time and return a greater share of the value created through trading back to Members.
That’s why, to mark the launch, the Society is introducing a programme of Member rewards and incentives across its family of businesses. These are aimed at giving Members more value in practical ways that can help them with everyday life as well as some of life’s bigger moments.
There will be new incentives and rewards announced regularly, creating more opportunities for Members to save and helping the Society deliver even greater positive impact.
Elaine Dean, President of the new Society said: “The launch of our new Society is an historic moment for the co-operative movement. OurCoop reflects what makes co-operatives so different and so powerful: by working together and participating, we can create a meaningful difference.
“Our unique family of businesses supports Members everyday and throughout their lives, and through our networks our partnerships we can help other co-operatives to flourish as our Society continues to grow.”
This launch marks the start of a journey, with the new Society inviting Members, colleagues and communities to help shape the future of a modern, member-led co-operative model — rooted in local life and focused on sustainable growth.
Debbie Robinson concluded: “We are building a modern, member-led Society with bold ambitions. What matters most now is how we grow our Society together, staying true to our beliefs while creating real value for Members, colleagues and customers. We’re just getting started and I’m excited about what we can achieve together.”
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