The story
The society was established in Chelmsford by iron foundry workers in 1867, with the intention of becoming "the Star of the County". In 1969, it merged with the Braintree Co-operative Society, which had been formed by silk weavers in 1864.
In its first year of trading, Chelmsford Star Industrial Co-operative Society had a membership of 275 and annual sales of £4,316. By 1900, with 1,439 registered co-operatives in the UK, membership had risen to 2,001, with annual sales of £40,414. In 1954, with membership standing at 19,089, the Society achieved sales of over £1 million for the first time.
Following a vote meeting the required majority at special general meetings held on 16 July and 5 August 2025, Chelmsford Star was transferred to Central England Co-operative on 15 September. However, the Chelmsford Star trading name continues to be used locally.
From Wikipedia’s article on Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4