Central England Co-op members rewarded for their loyalty with share of £537,000 payout

Posted by james brindle | Published: 28/06/2022

Central England Co-op (CEC) can today reveal that it has shared out over £537,000 among its members as a reward for their loyalty.

The Society, which operates over 400 food stores and funeral homes across 20 counties, has said ‘thank you’ to over 119,000 members with its latest payout.

Now, shoppers can use their dividend when they next visit a Central England Co-op to pick up food and vital essentials.

The payout has been awarded to members in the following areas: West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Not only do shoppers benefit by being a member of the Society, but their continued support also allows the business to invest funds into supporting a whole host of important community projects and local good causes.

This included:

• £170,000 being shared between 136 charities and good causes via its Community Dividend Fund
• Distributing millions of meals to those in need via its food redistribution project with FareShare Midlands and store food bank donations
• Supporting long-term partners including Dementia UK with over £1.7 million now donated to the charity
• Its third annual Christmas Toy Appeal seeing 10,000 toys handed out to local charities and good causes
• Creating sustainable green spaces near some of its food stores and funeral homes for the benefit of the community

Gillian Trickitt, Membership Manager at Central England Co-op, said: “Our members are at the heart of everything we do, and we would like to thank them for their loyalty.

“Throughout the year, we give a share of our profits not only to our members, but to local community groups too and it’s because of our members that we can make a real difference and give back to our communities in the way we do.

“I’d like to thank members for their continued support and hope they enjoy this reward for their wonderful loyalty to CEC.”

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to member exclusive prices as well as activities and classes in the community.

It also gives access to community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

Notes to editors

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its over 8,000 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 21 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Its purpose is to inspire communities to create a sustainable Society for all.

It actively campaigns for the Government to increase sentencing for violent attacks on retail workers and works with FareShare Midlands and hundreds of food banks, generating enough food donations to create over 2.1 million meals for people in need.

The Society embraces inclusivity and equality and is a signed-up member to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter, while it is also fully committed to addressing the impact of climate change and is on track to be Carbon Neutral by 2030. 

It invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities through its Community Dividend Fund scheme which has seen over £175,000 shared out between 116 good causes over the past 12 months.

Central England Co-op was named Leading Co-op of the Year by Co-operatives UK in 2021.

Press office contact: James Brindle, Public Relations Lead

Contact details: email james.brindle@centralengland.coop and telephone 07392 080028.