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Private company

Co-op Food

Logo: The Co-operative Group, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

British brand of consumer co-operative supermarkets

Co-op is a UK supermarket chain and the brand used for the food retail business of The Co-operative Group, one of the world's largest consumer co-operatives. As the UK's seventh largest food retailer, Co-op operates nearly 2,400 food stores. It also supplies products to over 6,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies, through its wholesale business, Co-op Wholesale.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1844Founded1

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Co-op is a UK supermarket chain and the brand used for the food retail business of The Co-operative Group, one of the world's largest consumer co-operatives. As the UK's seventh largest food retailer, Co-op operates nearly 2,400 food stores. It also supplies products to over 6,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies, through its wholesale business, Co-op Wholesale.2

Corporate structure

Co-op Food is part of a group headed by The Co-operative Group. 34 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • The Co-operative Group Manchester, United Kingdom
    • Co-op Food Manchester
      • Co-op Food - Wootton Fields Subsidiary · United Kingdom
    • Co-op Insurance Subsidiary · Manchester
    • Co-operative Banking Group Subsidiary · CIS Tower
    • Co-operative Legal Services Subsidiary · Manchester
    • Co-operative Travel Trading Group Subsidiary · Manchester
    • Nisa Subsidiary · Scunthorpe
    • Somerfield Subsidiary · Bristol
    • The Co-operative Bank Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • BPS PRINCIPAL EMPLOYER LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
        • BRITANNIA PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • CO-OPERATIVE BANK FINANCIAL ADVISERS LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • FOURTH ROODHILL LEASING LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • MORTGAGE AGENCY SERVICES NUMBER FIVE LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • MORTGAGE AGENCY SERVICES NUMBER FOUR LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • MORTGAGE AGENCY SERVICES NUMBER ONE LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • MORTGAGE AGENCY SERVICES NUMBER SIX LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • MORTGAGE AGENCY SERVICES NUMBER TWO LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • PLATFORM FUNDING LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • SECOND ROODHILL LEASING LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • SILK ROAD FINANCE NUMBER FIVE PLC Subsidiary · London, United Kingdom
      • SILK ROAD FINANCE NUMBER SIX PLC Subsidiary · London, United Kingdom
      • THE CO-OPERATIVE BANK PENSION TRUST LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
      • THIRD ROODHILL LEASING LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
    • The Co-operative brand Subsidiary
    • The Co-operative Electrical Subsidiary
    • The Co-operative Motor Group Subsidiary
    • CHORUS LAW LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
    • Co-op Electrical Subsidiary · United Kingdom
    • CO-OPERATIVE GROUP HOLDINGS (2011) LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
    • SIMPLIFY CHANNEL LTD Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
    • The Co-operative Funeralcare Subsidiary
    • THE CO-OPERATIVE TRUST CORPORATION LIMITED Subsidiary · Manchester, United Kingdom
    • CIS Tower Owned · Manchester, United Kingdom

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

Products and brands

Operations

The "Co-op" brand is used by over 3,500 shops owned by various societies which make up the co-operative movement, including the Central England Co-operative. A number of co-operative societies including the Lincolnshire Co-operative prefer to use the 1992 'cloverleaf version' of The Co-operative brand. In May 2016, The Co-operative Group reverted to the use of its 1968 Co-op cloverleaf branding.

In March 2009, The Co-operative Group acquired the Somerfield supermarket retailer for £1.57 billion from a group of private equity investors. The Somerfield Head Office in Bristol was subsequently closed and the grocery stores were either sold to rivals or integrated into its own Co-op Food division. In 2016, The Co-operative Group sold 298 smaller convenience stores to McColl's.

The majority of products sold in "Co-op Food" shops are sourced collectively through Federal Retail Trading Services although stocking decisions and pricing are determined by the individual businesses.

List of UK Co-operatives with food retail operations

Though often considered to be one supermarket business, The Co-operative Food is a network of supermarkets and convenience shops owned and operated by over 15 independent co-operative societies, many of which have adopted the 2008 version of The Co-operative brand. In total there are over 4,000 co-operative food shops in the UK. The table below indicates how many food shops each co-operative society operates.

Read the full text

Work with Amazon

In 2021, the Co-op started selling food online through Amazon. The move was criticised by the GMB union, which has been campaigning for improved worker rights at Amazon.

Distribution

Co-op Supply Chain Logistics is the distribution business of The Co-operative Group that manages the national and international distribution of goods on behalf of all the food retailing co-operative societies who are members of Co-operative Federal Retail Trading Services. The Co-operative Group manages all of its own warehouses and most of its own transport operations, although several distribution centres use third party logistics partners to manage their transport operations. Supply Chain Logistics Head Office is co-located at the Birtley Distribution Centre.

Co-op Supply Chain Logistics has 9 regional distribution centres (RDCs) and 3 smaller local service centres (LSCs) servicing the outer extremities of the UK. The Coventry-based National Distribution Centre (NDC) supplies all distribution centres with slower moving ambient lines and tobacco.

Product ranges

Co-op Food ranges currently are (as of September 2023):

Co-op – standard own brand range

Irresistible – premium food and drink

Free From – suitable for customers with food allergies

Gro – Plant-based own brand range

Honest Value – Low price range

Co-op Food ranges formerly were:

Loved By Us – standard own brand range

Truly Irresistible – premium food and drink

Home Baking – home baking range

Simply Value – low price range

In November 2020, the "Honest Value" range was launched as a lower priced range.

From Wikipedia’s article on Co-op Food, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Subsidiaries

  • Co-op Food - Wootton Fields

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1844Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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