About us

Our history

Our story began over 150 years ago, when in 1844 a group of Lancastrians set up the Rochdale Pioneers Society, a co-operative movement which was to spread across the country.

At its peak in 1960, there were around 950 retail societies in the UK. Following many mergers, however, there are now less than 40, though they each serve a large local community.

Midlands Co-operative Society is the product of mergers with 65 societies. The most recent have been in the past 20 years:

1995 – Central Midlands Co-operative Society and Leicestershire Co-operative Society
2001 – Chesterfield and District Co-operative Society
2006 – Desborough Industrial Society and Ilkeston Consumer Co-operative

The integration of societies all over the Midlands explains our complex geographical trading area, which is concentrated in Derbyshire and Leicestershire but extends north up to South Yorkshire, west as far as Staffordshire, east across Nottinghamshire into Lincolnshire, and south into Warwickshire, Worcestershire and even Herefordshire.

Midlands Co-operative Society today

Today, Midlands Co-operative Society is the largest independent retail society in the UK, with gross sales in excess of £800 million and employing around 8,000 staff.

We are a member of The Co-operative Group family, but completely independent from the Group and other retail societies.

Our principal area of activity is retail – our shops range from large supermarkets with petrol stations to local convenience shops and post offices, and we also have a number of Midlands-based department stores. We offer leisure and business travel services, funeral homes and services, and our Transport business includes car dealerships, car servicing and a commercial vehicle customisation operation.

Providing management and support for all operational activities is our Business Support Centre, located in Lichfield in Staffordshire.

Our values and principles

Our values and principles are what make us different from other retailers. We are committed to ethical values – honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others – and also subscribe to co-operative values of self-help and self-responsibility, democracy and equality, and equity and solidarity.

Through our Community Dividend scheme we return 1% of our trading profit to local charities and good causes. Our corporate staff-elected charity – which changes every two years – is MND Association (Motor Neurone Disease Association). MNDA will benefit from many fund-raising events organised by our members and staff over its two-year term, which started in late 2009.

What else makes us different?

Find out our views on social responsibility

Our members

Our members are at the heart of everything we do. Midlands Co-operative is owned and democratically controlled by them, and they are involved at every level in how the business is run, through regular members’ meetings and annual elections.

To reward their loyalty and commitment, members receive points on all their purchases which are turned into cash vouchers redeemable at Midlands Co-operative stores. During twice-yearly member discount days, members can make extra savings at our department stores.

There are also regional member committees which organise social and educational events for members. Anyone can become a member, and after six months you become eligible to attend member meetings and stand for election.

Find out more about our members

Visit our Members' site

How we are run

A board of non-executive directors appoints the Society's chief executive, and a democratically appointed president chairs the board.

The chief executive's senior management team comprises the Society secretary, and general managers responsible for the different areas of our business – Shared Services (finance and IT), Corporate Affairs, Service Excellence, Retail, Travel, Funeral, Property and Transport.

See our annual financial reports