How was the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives for you and your organisation?
The International Year of Cooperatives has been a powerful reminder of the depth and relevance of our movement. For our Co-op, it showed how strongly co-operative values resonate at a time when we live in divided societies and many people are looking for organisations they can trust.
A highlight was welcoming co-operators from around the world to Manchester and Rochdale for the Festival of Co-operatives and the ICA General Assembly. Bringing international partners together in the birthplace of modern co-operation created a moment of connection and allowed us to reflect on the principles that shaped our movement in 1844 and how they still guide progress on sustainable development, peace and democratic ownership.
Stories of diversity and inclusion also came to the forefront. Reintroducing the legacy of Eliza Brierley, the first female Rochdale Pioneer, through Co-op Academy Brierley reminded us that co-operation has always been strengthened by those whose voices were not always recorded in history. That legacy continues to guide how we serve and represent our millions of member-owners.
Internationally, we saw the co-operative model supporting communities under pressure, whether through Fairtrade, peacebuilding initiatives or the growing reach of the Fund for International Co-operative Development. These efforts showed the practical difference co-operation makes in improving livelihoods and resilience.
What are your hopes for 2026?
My hope for 2026 is that co-operatives play a bigger and more visible role in making everyday life fairer and more secure. For our Co-op, that means deepening our long-term commitments: keeping essential products affordable, supporting British farmers and suppliers, and investing in local high streets so communities have access to services they rely on. I also want 2026 to be a year of further progress on opportunity. Through apprenticeships, Levy Share, our partnership with The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, our work with Barnardo’s and our support for Co-op Academies, we will continue helping young people gain skills, confidence and a clear route into good work.
More broadly, I hope we see meaningful steps toward growing the co-operative and mutual sector. The recent Budget gave important recognition to the role of co-operatives, setting an ambition to work towards doubling the size of the co-operative economy and launching a call for evidence on how government can better support co-ops to grow.
Related: Co-op Group pledges £1bn to economy after Reeves budget
There is real potential for co-operatives to deliver more of the food, energy, housing and community services people depend on, and we are committed to playing our part in that effort.
Above all, my hope is that 2026 strengthens the role of co-operation at a time when society needs its values more than ever.
