Co-op News - February 2020

u where and how often they work with us, balanced
with security,” it says, adding that it provides free
insurance for riders. “Our riders have a strong voice
within the company and our flexible model is based
on their direct feedback.”
But the co-op retail sector also faces challenges
from other directions. When the vegetarian, vegan,
organic and wholefood movements were in their
infancy, co-ops were leading the way, with notable
success stories such as Yorkshire-based Suma
Wholefoods and Manchester’s Unicorn Grocery.
But, just as corporate supermarkets have tried to
steal some of the co-op sector’s ethical clothes, the
growing popularity of plant-based diets, bolstered
by concerns over the global environmental crisis,
means they are now growing their presence in a
market previously led by niche independents.
Kellie Bubble, from Unicorn, says: “It is wonderful
that social and environmental considerations are
influencing customer behaviour.
“The fact that people and planet matter more
than profit should be headline news. We can
hardly complain that values we hold dear are
now mainstream but competition will be more
challenging and co-ops need to communicate what
they give to communities unlike the corporate
competition which largely takes.
“Money from worker co-ops stays in the local
economy, there are no offshore accounts or
distant shareholders. We contribute to the local
economic ecosystem in a very positive way. Maybe
this is a new message we should focus on – with
communications around the local economic
contribution of co-ops and paying a Fair Tax to
contribute back into the wider economy.”
At Suma, Giles Simon says: “The last few years
have been pretty transformational, with a huge
increase in the number of people changing their
buying habits for ethical reasons. As a vegetarian
business founded on principles of sustainability
and co-operation, that’s a fantastic thing, and the
more it becomes mainstream the better.”
Mr Simon adds: “As retailers come to offer more
plant-based ranges, that’s a real boost too. The
Co-op’s new range of fresh vegan food, Gro, for
example, makes Co-op stores a destination for
people wanting meat free meals, so they can go instore
and get their Suma vegan range on one aisle
and their fresh produce on another.
“Because we’ve been supplying ethical products
for over 40 years, we know the market well, as
well as which new products are coming through.
And we’ve got a strong reputation, and that goes
a long way. We’re a worker co-op with equality
and integrity at our core, so we’ve got great
relationships with our customers, many of whom
are co-ops – food co-ops, wholefood shops and
cafes, and co-op retail stores too – and it’s being
"THE IDEA IS TO MOVE FROM CHARITY
TO SOLIDARITY, CREATING AN
INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PEOPLE
TO ORGANISE THEIR OWN FOOD.”
part of this wider family of organisations trying to
do good that makes the difference for us.”
Meanwhile, new areas of ethical business are
opening up for co-ops. Concerns over austerity and
food poverty have prompted a range of responses
from the co-op movement, including support from
the retail sector for food banks, commitments by
societies such as East of England to cut down on
food waste with new initiatives to see food after its
best before date, the growth of urban community
farms such as the Lambeth GP Food Co-op. And,
in an initiative supported by the Co-op Group, the
Rochdale Pioneers Musuem is running the Pioneers
Pantry, a pop in shop which sell affordable food and
other grocery essentials to people living in poverty.
Now, a new grassroots initiative, Cooperation
Town, is looking to establish a series of food co-ops
on housing estates and community centres across
Britain. The initiative was started by political
organisers and activists active in areas such as
trade unions, renters unions and women’s strikes.
One of the group, Shiri Shalmy, told Co-op News:
“We started organising in November; we knew that
we had to organise with people where they are,
in their communities – and we knew people are
struggling with food costs.”
Their idea was to create an alternative to food
ONE OF A NUMBER
OF SUMA PRODUCTS
BEING STOCKED AT
CO-OP GROUP STORES
40 | FEBRUARY 2020