Central England Co-op Members rewarded for their loyalty with share of nearly £1.2 million payout

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 13/12/2021

Central England Co-op can today reveal that it has shared out nearly £1.2 million among its Members as a reward for their loyalty.

The Society, which operates over 400 food stores and funeral homes across 16 counties, has said ‘thank you’ to over 116,000 Members this year, made up of over £528,000 in the first half of the year and £643,000 just in time for Christmas.

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, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire 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:

• Pledging over £350,000 to create sustainable spaces on Society land for the local community
• Offering customers even more choice via the further rollout of home delivery and click and collect via Snappy Shopper while it cut food waste with its partnership with Too Good To Go
• Its ongoing partnership with FareShare Midlands and over 65 local food banks created millions of meals for children who might otherwise go without and thousands of vital emergency food parcels for families
• Rewarding 86 good causes with grants from its Community Dividend Fund totalling £84,000 so far

Jim Watts, Central England Co-op Society Secretary, said: “Our Members mean a lot to us and I want 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. It’s because of them that we’re able to help.

“It’s why membership makes a real difference and it’s thanks to them that we are able to give back to our communities in the way we do.”

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 members activities and 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 7,800 colleagues serve customers across 400 plus trading sites in 16 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

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 contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop