Articles in Consumer

Co-operative & Community Finance is celebrating a record year of achievement. In the past 12 months the Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) has provided over £ 1.2million in loan finance to the co-operative and social enterprise sector, making 2006 its most successful year since it was founded in 1973.

THE Co-operative Bank's transformation from a "dowdy, anachronistic curiosity" in the early 1990's to a firmly established 21st century "cool icon brand" has been saluted by two of the marketing professionals involved in reinventing the organisation as Britain's best known ethical bank.

MIDCOUNTIES Co-op has launched an in-store campaign focusing on allergy-free shopping. Leaflets give advice on specific allergy concerns, for example milk, eggs, nuts, wheat, soyabeans, fish and shellfish, which make up about 90 per cent of all food allergies. Midcounties Co-op – the society formed as a result of the merger between Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester and West Midlands – has campaigned on health-related issues for more than 20 years and believes the service is needed as food ...

FOUR of Britain's biggest societies have reported increased sales over the important festive period. Co-op Group convenience store food sales for the five weeks to New Year's Eve were up by 2% on a like for like basis, while at United Co-operatives, food sales increased by 6.3% on 2004 – though the like for like figure is 2.5% when the impact of acquisitions and closures is taken into account. There was also festive cheer at the two new ‘super co-ops' created last year.