Co-op

Co-op has supported communities across Britain since its inception 175 years ago. Whenever our members shop with us some of their money is directed to local causes doing important work. So, when the world turned upside down our instinct was to provide additional support within these communities to those who were vulnerable. To do this we wholeheartedly embraced our founding principle- cooperation.

Throughout 2020 we cooperated with a range of partners:

-We worked with Marcus Rashford and our colleagues to help raise over £5m for FareShare. In the process we supported Rashford's campaign to extend the government's free school meal scheme and forced 2 spectacular U-turns.

-We worked with over 70,000 members to raise over £0.5m for the Coronavirus Members Fund.

-We accelerated the launch of Co-operate, an online platform that linked volunteers to community causes.

-In partnership with the National Portrait Gallery we celebrated the nation's helpers and heroes with a national exhibition called Hold Still.

-Our funeral business worked with The Daily Mirror to deliver guidance to anyone that had lost a loved one through a 12 week partnership.

-We stood in solidarity against racism with our competitors and Channel 4 when a Sainsburys ad sparked online abuse.

-We worked with our agency partners to launch the UK's first value range that doesn't compromise on ethical standards- Honest Value.

This wasn't a purposeful response to a year of crisis. Doing good is, and always will be, our way of business. You could even say, it's what we do.