responsible retailing

Being part of The Co-operative shapes the way we do things – and why we do them. The Co-operative was first founded over 150 years ago, and in all that time our purpose hasn’t changed. We are in business for the good of our customers, members, colleagues, the community, our suppliers, the wider world – and you. Everything we do is underpinned by a set of values that are still as important to us today as they were back in 1849.

But of course there have been changes – and some major ones in recent years. The merger between The Co-operative and
United Co-operatives has significantly grown our network – especially our travel business. At the same time, we have undertaken a major rebranding programme that is helping to raise our profile across all our market sectors. New store formats are being introduced, and old branches are being transformed. By the end of 2008 over 50% of The Co-operative Group’s 4,500 branches will have been rebranded.

There is a strong balance of the commercial and ethical values within our business – because the more successful we are, the more we can contribute to the wider world. Essentially this is a business owned by its members. Today there are almost 2.9 million Membership Cardholders. Members earn points for shopping in our trading outlets, and twice a year these are converted into a value and paid out to members.

We also use the money we make to invest in the local community and to champion key issues within the UK. Last year as a Group we invested nearly £7 million in communities across the UK; some 12,500 colleagues took part in volunteering; and we continued to support a wide variety of community projects, such as providing 2,600 football kits for junior teams in our local areas. Within Travel we have just launched our very own Ethical Strategy and some of the key aims within are:

• Ensuring all our business operations are carbon neutral.
• Encouraging customers to travel responsibly by promoting our carbon offset scheme with Climate Care.
• Using recycled paper, and recycling as much waste as we can across the business.
• Supporting The Travel Foundation’s programme of work on sustainable tourism projects around the world by encouraging all customers to donate £1 when they book.

Click on the links to find out more about our ethical policy, work in the community or joining our membership scheme.