Your detailed report of the 2023 Retail Conference had Shirine Khoury-Haq, Co-op Group CEO, worrying about how we respond to current challenges and a 6% market share. But she answered her own question: “We have something that none of the others have. We have the idea of co-operation”.
I was pleased she repeated this sentiment at the Group’s AGM and am impressed with her newly discovered zeal for co-operation (although I was not impressed with AGM attendance: just 125 in the hall at voting time).
In recent times, co-operation among the different retail societies hasn’t been led top-down. A simple example: recently I visited Bridgwater, a moderate-sized town with three co-op shops, each run by a different society (Group, Southern and Radstock). I chose the Southern store, but didn’t show my Group card as I knew they had withdrawn from the mutual acceptance of cards. It was good to hear that societies are beginning to talk to each other about this issue, but where has “the idea of co-operation” been?
The Group’s recently reported increase in members is to be applauded, but the majority of shoppers are not members, suggesting limited loyalty. And ask the general public why they don’t shop with us, and the price issue invariably arises.
So how could the Co-op with its dismal 6% market share raise its game and lower prices? As Khoury-Haq said at the AGM, by becoming part of something bigger. A glimpse of this future may have been previewed in your article debating the new as yet to be chosen Group chair. Group secretary Kendal-Ward said: “We are part of a wider co-op movement stretching across industries and nations and need to play our part in driving co-operation”.
Hopefully between this and Khoury-Haq’s sentiments, the Co-op is turning a corner for the better. However, until something positive happens and true co-operation among co-operatives begins to happen it will remain, to quote the CEO, “the idea of co-operation”.
Leslie Freitag / via email
