Anglia Regional Co-operative Society

Infobox_Company
company_name = Anglia Regional
Co-operative Society Limited
company_
company_type = Consumer Co-operative
foundation = 1876 (Incorporated 1887)
location = Westgate House, 2 Park Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 2TA
key_people = Jean Humphreys, Chairman John Chillcott, Chief Executive
revenue = 53,174 thousand GBP
num_employees = 3,700 (approx.)
industry = Retail (Wholesale)
products = Grocers, Department Stores, Funeral Directors, Travel Agents, Ophthalmic Opticians
homepage = http://www.arcs.co.uk/

Anglia Regional Co-operative Society Limited is the fifth largest consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom, with diverse operations and an annual turnover of £360m. [ [http://www.arcs.co.uk/common/pdf/annualreport2006.pdf Annual Report and Accounts 2006] and [http://www.arcs.co.uk/common/pdf/interim.pdf Interim Director's Report 2007] Anglia Regional Co-operative Society, 02 September 2006 and 17 February 2007] It was formed by the merger of the Greater Peterborough Regional (formerly Peterborough and District) and Anglia (formerly Waveney) Co-operative Societies in 1987. The Society has a wide-ranging and extensive portfolio with over 100 stores, principally trading in East Anglia, providing employment for 3,700 staff. Head Office is located at Westgate House, Peterborough.

A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise. [Statement on the Co-operative Identity (Definition) International Co-operative Alliance, Manchester, 1995] The Society is a registered Industrial and Provident Society [Registered in England and Wales under the Companies Act 1985, No. 8644R] , a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group and a corporate member of the Co-operative Group Ltd. (formerly Co-operative Wholesale Society), the largest consumer co-operative in the world. [Section VII Administration (70) "Rules of the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society", 10 February 2005]

ervices

“The objects of the Society are to carry on the business of a store-keeper, general dealer and universal provider in all its branches, and in particular to buy, sell, manufacture, produce, grow, cultivate and deal in goods, stores, consumable articles, chattels and effects of all kinds, both wholesale and retail and generally to engage in any business, trade or industry which may seem to the Society directly or indirectly conducive to the interests or convenience of the Society's members or any section thereof.” [Section I Interpretation (4) "Rules of the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society", 10 February 2005] “The Society shall at all times conduct its business and affairs in accordance with the Rochdale Principles of Co-operation, as published from time to time by the International Co-operative Alliance, serving the needs of its customers, employees and the communities in which it trades.” [Part of an amendment of the rules acknowledged by the Financial Services Authority on 30 January 2002]

Today the Society’s principal activities comprise food retailing through Rainbow supermarkets and Co-op Local stores; non-food retailing through Westgate Department Stores, AHF Home Furnishings, Contact and Comfortmaker superstores; petrol retailing and funeral services. It is otherwise involved in the provision of optical, travel and foreign exchange services. In October 2008 a new electronic commerce division will launch, selling furniture online. [ [http://www.co-opfurniture.com/ Co-opfurniture.com coming soon!] ARCS Internet (retrieved 05 September 2008)] In addition, the Society manages an important investment property portfolio.

In November 2004 United Co-operatives Ltd., based in the North West of England, announced that department stores were no longer a core business, leading to the sale of seven stores, mostly inherited from the Yorkshire Co-operative Society, to the Anglia Society. [ [https://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Downloads/Reports/UnitedCo-operativesInterimReport2005.pdf Interim Director's Report 2005] "Other trading activities" United Co-operatives, 23 July 2005] In October 2005 the Co-operative Group Ltd. announced its decision to exit the department store sector. In September 2006 a further seven stores, located in the South East of England, were transferred to the Anglia Society. [ [http://www.co-operative.co.uk/en/corporate/reportsandpublications/ Annual Report and Accounts 2006] "Property, production and other trading" The Co-operative Group, 11 April 2007] [ [http://www.usdaw.org.uk/co-op/news/1137159587_1017.html Usdaw welcomes sale of Co-op department stores to Anglia Co-operative Society] Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, 13 January 2006] The Group subsequently merged with United in July 2007.

The society is the largest operator of department and furniture stores in the British co-operative movement. This has been achieved through organic expansion and the acquisition of stores from other retail co-operatives; with many of these now located well outside the East Anglia region. In a move which mirrors the Co-operative Retail Trading Group food wholesaling operation, the society decided to make its buying and logistics expertise available to other co-operative societies and formed the Anglia Buying Service in 2007.

Membership

Co-operative societies are owned and controlled by their members on the principle of one member one vote, giving all members equal voting rights. The Anglia Society has operated on that basis since it was founded in 1876. Organisations can also become members of the Anglia Society. Each member shall be required to hold at least one share of £1, which must be paid in full on entering the Society. [Section IV Capital (17) "Rules of the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society", 10 February 2005] The Society's Rules, which similar to the election of directors, are agreed by the membership, allow for a Board of ten directors, three of whom may be employees of the Society. The full Board meets monthly and sub-committees of the Board meet quarterly or less frequently. [Section VI Directors (36a) "Rules of the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society", 10 February 2005]

Dividend is simply a share of the profits made by the Society. The rate of dividend is recommended to members by the Board of Directors and voted upon at the Annual General Meeting. Members have an opportunity at the point of sale to donate their dividend to Share (account number) 600, the proceeds of which are presented each year to three or four charities which are agreed by the Board. [Section VIII Application of Profits (82) "Rules of the Anglia Regional Co-operative Society", 10 February 2005]

By the 2000s, the Society was still maintaining the more traditional method of paying dividend, by issuing passbooks to members, with qualifying purchases recorded in them. This was increasingly seen as being outdated, despite the fact that dividend could be doubled, if converted into member shopping vouchers. In 2006, however, the Co-operative Group relaunched its own membership scheme, via a card-based system with purchases recorded directly at the till, or online. This also included food purchases, which Anglia had not previously registered for dividend.

In late September 2008, Anglia Regional Co-operative joined the Co-operative Group membership scheme, under a reciprocal arrangement. This means that Anglia will allocate its own dividend payments to members through the card scheme, and members will also be able to accrue dividend at other participating Co-operative outlets. The new member scheme will also earn dividend against food purchases. [http://arcs.co.uk/main_members.asp Anglia Regional Co-Operative Member's website] . Members will continue to retain their Anglia membership, whilst being entitled to receive dividend through participating Anglia businesses, or as part of the Co-operative Group]

ubsidiaries

The following trading companies are wholly owned by the parent Society:

*Co-op Funeral Services (Anglia) Ltd., trading as Anglia Co-operative Funerals, incorporating R J Scholes, J H Landin & Son, George James & Son, Watkins & Stafford, Fishers, Dennis Easton, H E Bull & Son and M J Claypole funeral directors [Registered in England and Wales No. 13027R. A member of the National Association of Funeral Directors]
*Westgate Properties (Anglia) Ltd.Registered with the Financial Services Authority under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965]
*Yaxley Farm Ltd. [Registered in England and Wales No. 2553217]
*Elite Electrical Ltd. [Registered in England and Wales No. 407850]
*Westgate Optical Ltd., property management
*Rainbow Stores Ltd. (adjacent petrol stations franchised by Shell) [Registered in England and Wales No. 2633489]
*Westgate Department Stores Ltd., incorporating Oasis Restaurants and Stylistics Hair and Beauty Salon [Registered in England and Wales No. 2633491]
*Anglia (Home Furnishings) Ltd. [Registered in England and Wales No. 1513710]
*Contact Electrical Superstores Ltd., incorporating Comfortmaker Textile Superstore, Abingdon, Oxfordshire [Registered in England and Wales No. 2801934]
*Anglia Motor Group Ltd. [Registered in England and Wales No. 2633486. [http://www.motortrader.com/18894/AMG-up-for-sale-after-escalati.ehtml AMG up for sale after 'escalating losses'] Motor Trader, 27 November 2000]
*Anglia Wholesale Furniture Distribution Ltd. [Registered in England and Wales No. 3010171]
*ARCS Internet Ltd., internet development consultancy [Registered in England and Wales No. 1513710]

Although managed by the Society, the in-house travel agents are operated under the national Co-operative Travel brand. The Co-operative Travel is a member of the Co-operative Travel Trading Group.

Pharmacies in the Society's trading area are owned by National Co-operative Chemists Ltd., [Registered in England and Wales No. 12714R. Brook House, Oldham Road, Middleton, Manchester M24 1HF] a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Co-operative Group, trading as The Co-operative Pharmacy.

The business and assets of the former Anglia Dairies Ltd. were transferred to Dairy Crest Group Plc in 1997 for an aggregate consideration of £4.5m. [ [http://www.dairycrest.co.uk/investorcentre/downloads/annual98.pdf Annual Report and Accounts 1998] "Notes to the financial statements (26)" Dairy Crest Group, 01 June 1998]

History

The Rochdale Pioneers, formed by a group of Lancashire weavers, are credited with starting the first successful retail co-operative society in 1844, although there had been earlier attempts to do so. The Rochdale Pioneers opened a shop in Toad Lane, Rochdale, selling unadulterated food at reasonable prices. They also introduced a dividend that meant customers became members of the Society and received a dividend based on their purchases. By 1890 the tremendous efforts of ordinary men and women had resulted in the formation of over 1,400 co-operative societies across the length and breadth of the country. Over the last century many of these societies merged to create larger more efficient businesses or were absorbed by the Co-operative Wholesale Society. The Rochdale model was used by most societies.

Robert Owen, the father of co-operation, had visited the area in 1838 to lecture the people of Peterborough, Wisbech, King's Lynn and Norwich. These visits were at the invitation of James Hill, a corn merchant and newspaper publisher living in Wisbech. [Holyoake, George Jacob [http://www.gerald-massey.org.uk/holyoake/c_co-operation%20(02).htm The History of Co-operation] "Volume 1 Pioneer Period, Chapter VI His Appeal to the People" T. Fisher Unwin, London, 1908] The Hill family had extensive business enterprises in Peterborough and Wisbech on the banks of the River Nene, dealing in wood, coal, corn, etc. and with interests in brewing and shipping. James Hill’s aim was the founding of a co-operative community or village near Wisbech and to this end he organised his followers into the United Advancement Society. Later he opened his first co-op shop in the area offering goods for sale in Wisbech. Members in March and Peterborough could obtain goods by placing orders with the Wisbech branch. Unfortunately, this Society, like many of the very early ones, only lasted for a short period before breaking up.

They operated for a few years but made little progress and were almost unknown in the town, closing down completely shortly after the formation of the Peterborough Society, which had a very unusual beginning. In 1876 a travelling salesman/auctioneer from the north of the country, using a canvas covered area in Peterborough, decided to assist the widow of a railwayman by donating five per cent of his takings from the sale of tea on a particular night. Because of the interest of other workers in this generous gesture, he sold some 1,400lbs. of tea on the night and the widow had a gift of £12. As part of the sales technique he also gave coupons during his sales pitch which could be exchanged for gifts. The local traders decided that with the sale of 1,400lbs. of tea, he needed to be stopped from trading and he was charged with an infringement of the Lottery Act. The court decided to let him off with two hours detention until the end of the sitting but he decided to leave the traders a legacy and from his knowledge of co-operative societies urged his supporters to hold a meeting in his tent and form a society. From this base the Society prospered and continued to expand its trade, absorbing the Oundle (est.1866), St. Neots (est.1882), Huntingdon (est.1866), Wisbech (est.1886), King's Lynn (est.1888), St. Ives (est.1889) and Chatteris (est.1900) societies.

The Waveney Society, which merged with the Peterborough Society in 1987, had earlier absorbed the Beccles (est.1879), Diss (est.1898) and Lowestoft (est.1890) societies. [ [http://www.arcs.co.uk/main_society.asp Anglia Society: A Potted History] Anglia Regional Co-operative Society (retrieved 15 July 2007)]

References

ee also

*The Co-operative Group
*The Co-operative Union
*The Co-operative Party
*International Co-operative Alliance
*History of the cooperative movement

External links

* [http://www.arcs.co.uk/ Anglia Regional Co-operative Society]
* [http://www.crtg.coop/ Co-operative Retail Trading Group]
* [http://www.co-operative.co.uk/ The Co-operative Group]
* [http://www.cooperatives-uk.coop/ The Co-operative Union]
* [http://www.party.coop/ The Co-operative Party]