Southern Co-operative

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Southern Co-op

Southern Co-op's headquarters at the 1000 Lakeside office complex, Portsmouth
Type	Consumer Co-operative
Industry	Retail
Founded	1873
Headquarters	1000 Lakeside, North Harbour, Western Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3FE
Area served	Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex, Berkshire, Somerset, Surrey, Devon, Bristol, Kent and parts of Dorset and Wiltshire.
Key people	Mark Ralf, Chair Mark Smith, Chief Executive
Products	Grocer, Funeral director, Independent living
Revenue	£490.3 million (20/21)
Net income	£2.1 million
Members	132,051 (20/21)
Number of employees	4,370 (20/21)
Website	thesouthernco-operative.co.uk

Southern Co-op (originally Portsea Island Mutual Co-operative Society Ltd, now officially Southern Co-op )^[1] is a regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. The principal activities of the Society are food retailing and funerals. It operates over 200 convenience stores and 50 funeral homes, covering the southern English counties of Berkshire, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex and Wiltshire. Southern Co-op society is owned by over 130,000 members who share in the business's profits and democratically control its operations. It was previously registered as an Industrial and Provident Society, but its status is now as a mutual society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.^[1]

The business of the Southern Co-op includes a natural burial ground in West Sussex and crematoria in Hampshire and Devon, as well as an online home shopping service, Co-operative Mobility. Additionally, the Co-op franchises over 20 stores that trade under the Welcome brand and has a franchise project with Starbucks.

In the full year ending 27 January 2021, Southern Co-op recorded sales of £490.3m (£466.8m 2019/20) and a profit before tax of £2.1 million (£1.18m 2019/20). Society membership was 132,051* in 2020/21, down from 145,000 in 2019/20.^[2] (* 643 accounts were closed upon request, 18,214 accounts forfeited in accordance with the

Rules, 300 previously forfeited accounts were re-opened upon request by the member)

History[]

Southern Co-op was formed in 1873 by dockyard workers who had transferred from Woolwich docks in east London to the Portsmouth dockyard. The workers had previously set up a successful Co-operative Society in Woolwich. When they arrived in Portsmouth they decided to replicate a similar set-up there.

In December 1872, 30 people attended a public meeting and unanimously agreed to pay one shilling (12 old pence) for the establishment of a local Co-operative. After five months, the Portsea Island Mutual Co-operative Society's first shop opened in Charles Street on 9 May 1873.

The head office was previously located at Fareham in Hampshire until, July 2011, when it moved to 1000 Lakeside, a business park in North Harbour, Portsmouth.^[3]

Operations[]

Southern Co-operative branch in New Alresford, Hampshire in 2020.

Southern co-op operates over 200 Co-operative Food stores, covering Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex, Berkshire, Somerset, Surrey, Devon, Bristol, Kent and parts of Dorset and Wiltshire,they also operate 30 Starbucks stores which is franchised under Cobra coffee which is owned by Southern Co-op.

Registered in England and Wales under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014,^[1] it is a member of Co-operatives UK, the Co-operative Retail Trading Group and a corporate member of The Co-operative Group.

See also[]

• British co-operative movement
• Credit unions in the United Kingdom

References[]

External links[]

• The Southern Co-operative
• The Southern Co-operative Annual Review