Central England Cooperative Case Study

Central England Cooperative is an innovative consumer cooperative enterprise based in the UK. Consumer cooperatives are enterprises that operate independently of the state, are a form of mutual aid and aimed towards providing consumer services rather than profit. Founded in 2013, the Central England Cooperative have experienced tremendous growth since, and ended 2017 with nearly two million members and nearly ten thousand employees. The Central England Cooperative has a diverse range of businesses in its portfolio. Known most commonly for food stores, the Central England Cooperative ranges from funeral directories, to travel branches and florists. The CEC is the second largest independent retailer cooperative in UK after The Co-Operative Group …show more content…
Individuals running for the different positions in the board offer varying ideologies meaning that the polls are expected to show what the majority thinks is right. As a cooperative, the CEC holds elections every three years and offers the chance for all members who have held at least £1 for the prior six months before the election a chance to vote for their desired leaders. The meetings that are held twice a year at different venues to offer the members ample opportunities to attend. In these meetings, the members are given platforms to express their policy requirements to the board which is the executive body that analyses …show more content…
In specific, the organization allows its members to earn points when they trade with other cooperatives such as the Co-operative Group and the Midcounties Co-operative. When members engage in products from these other unions, they can earn points that are transferable to the Central England Cooperative. Members of other co-operatives can also earn points when they engage in doing business with the different outlets of the cooperative. By so doing, the relationship between the two organizations is heightened when members can engage in