UK's largest co-ops to merge
The UK's two biggest co-operatives have agreed the terms of a merger to form the world's largest consumer co-operative group.
The boards of Manchester-based Co-operative Group and Rochdale's United Co-operatives have given their approval to the plans and are recommending that their members back a tie-up.
Members of the two societies will meet in April and May to consider the proposal and, if agreed, the new enlarged society is expected to come into being in late July.
The enlarged group would have a turnover of around £9bn (€13.3bn) and would account for more than 80% of co-operative retail trade in the UK.
It would operate from more than 4,500 sites stretching from Cornwall to the Scottish Islands, with particular strength in the north of England and the north Midlands. Its businesses would range from food retailers and financial services to funeral parlours, pharmacies, car dealerships and footwear.
A spokesman for the Co-operative Group said it was too early to say if the merger would result in any job losses. The two groups currently employ around 87,500 staff.
The Co-operative Group is the country's largest co-op with 3.5 million members, while United has 930,000 members.
There are already crossovers between the two, with United stocking its shelves with products made by the Co-operative Group, while both jointly run the online E-Store.
There are around 35 co-operative groups in the UK, including small scale set-ups such as The Penrith Co-operative Society, which runs nine small supermarkets in Cumbria and County Durham.
The first retail co-operative was founded in Rochdale in 1844 as the Rochdale Pioneers Society, which is now part of the United Co-operatives group.
In 2000, Co-operative Wholesale Society and the Co-operative Retail Society merged and in 2002 it changed its name to the Co-operative Group.
