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

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 02/12/2020

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

The Society, which operates over 400 food stores, funeral homes and travel shops across 16 counties, has said ‘thank you’ to over 100,000 members this year, made up of £570,000 in the first half of the year and £637,000 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.

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:

• Sharing out nearly £60,000 between 45 good causes via a Covid-19 focussed support fund
• Creating over one million meals for people in needs thanks to a project with FareShare to redistribute food to good causes
• Launching a Call and Collect service that allows vulnerable people to access food and vital essentials during these uncertain times

Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op Chief Executive, 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

Picture caption: Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op Chief Executive.

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, travel and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop