Industry Retail (Wholesale) Headquarters Chelmsford Number of employees 850 | Revenue 100 million GBP Founded 1867 Type of business Consumer Co-operative | |
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Key people Barry Wood, Chief Executive Officer Products Grocer, Department Store, Funeral Director, Travel Agent Website www.chelmsfordstar.coop Profiles | ||
The Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society is an independent consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom.
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Registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, the Society is a member of Co-operatives UK (formerly the Co-operative Union), the Co-operative Group (formerly Co-operative Wholesale Society) and its national buying scheme, the Co-operative Retail Trading Group.
In 1995, it had a membership of 38,867 and annual sales of £34,234,140.
History
The Society was established in Chelmsford by iron foundry workers in 1867, with the intention of becoming "the Star of the County". In 1969, it merged with the Braintree Co-operative Society, which had been formed by silk weavers in 1864.
In its first year of trading, Chelmsford Star Industrial Co-operative Society had a membership of 275 and annual sales of £4,316. By 1900, with 1,439 registered co-operatives in the UK, membership had risen to 2,001, with annual sales of £40,414. In 1954, with membership standing at 19,089, the Society achieved sales of over £1 million for the first time.
Activities
According to the International Co-operative Alliance, "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." In conducting its affairs, Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society is committed to "following the Co-operative Values and Principles." The Society's rules are based on Model Rules 12, drawn up by Co-operatives UK.
The Society operates 39 convenience stores under The Co-operative Food fascia, Quadrant department stores and The Co-operative Travel branches in Chelmsford and Braintree and Chelmsford Star Co-operative Funeral Services. Membership is open to all residents of the Society's mid-Essex trading area, with members receiving a share of the profits in the form of dividend.