Type Cooperative Predecessor USC (founded in 1890) Website coop.ch CEO Joos Sutter (1 Sep 2011–) | Industry Wholesale distribution Number of employees 79 953 (2015) Headquarters Basel, Switzerland Founded 1969, Olten, Switzerland | |
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Revenue 26 932 million CHF (2015) Subsidiaries Interdiscount AG, Betty Bossi Profiles | ||
Coop Cooperative ( [ˈkoːp]) is one of Switzerland's largest retail and wholesale companies. It is structured in the form of a cooperative society with around 2.5 million members.
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As of 2015, Coop operates 2,213 shops and employs more than 54,000 people in Switzerland. According to Bio Suisse, the Swiss organic producers' association, Coop accounts for half of all the organic food sold in Switzerland. In June 2011, independent German rating agency oekom research AG awarded Coop with the title of "World's Most Sustainable Retailer". Coop has three primary brands with a sustainability selling proposition: Coop Oecoplan (various daily life products), Coop Naturaline (textile products) and Coop Naturaplan (food). The company also sells products bearing the Max Havelaar Fairtrade label.
Coop also has a low-cost product line, "Prix garantie". Coop owns the Swiss chocolate company Halba.
Coop publishes a weekly magazine called Coopzeitung (in German), Coopération (in French) and Cooperazione (in Italian).
The chain has an online presence called coop@home. The web site offers much of the same selection found in the Coop stores and delivers groceries, wine, flowers, books, and other products to customers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It currently markets its services in German, French, and English.
Summary
The Coop Group is headquartered in Switzerland and operates in the retail, wholesale and production sectors. Coop Group operates store formats in the food, non-food and service sectors. With Transgourmet Holding AG, Coop is Europe’s second largest cash & carry and wholesale supplies business. In total, the Coop Group has around 2,000 retail outlets in Switzerland and 124 cash & carry markets in Switzerland and other European countries. The Coop Group has a workforce of around 80 000, with approx. 54 000 employees in Switzerland.
History
The Verband Schweizerischer Konsumvereine (French: Union suisse des sociétés de consommation) is founded in 1890. In 1985, it becomes a cooperative.
In 1927, the Verband Schweizerischer Konsumvereine and the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions founded the Coop Bank (as Genossenschaftliche Zentralbank). Named Coop Bank since 1995 and owned by the Basler Kantonalbank since 1999.
In 1969, the Verband Schweizerischer Konsumvereine becomes the Coop.
Passabene (self-checkout)
Coop was one of the first self-checkout providers in Switzerland, introducing its own system called Passabene in 2005. It is in use in 80 stores. Coop uses the MC17T Retail Mobile Computer by Motorola Solutions for this application. They later introduced an Apple iPhone App that customers can use to scan items. As of Nov 2015, Coop point-of-sale devices accept Apple Pay, however, Coop Pronto gas stations do not (due to lack of NFC-capability.) (Please elaborate)
Cargo Sous Terrain
Cargo sous terrain (CST) is a planned underground logistics system – its first phase in the Mittelland region is scheduled by the early 2030s. As of January 2016, the company respectively association (Förderverein Cargo sous terrain) is based at the seat of Coop (Genossenschaft Basel) in Basel.
Swissmill
Swissmill operates the largest grainery in Switzerland that produces 800 tons of grain daily, representing 30% of the national grain requirements. Its meal is prepared for all bread products produced by the Swiss retailer Coop, Volg and Landis. Although the Swissmill Tower's exterior and height in Zürich is disputed, the municipal authorities claim that the silo is intentionally designed in its aesthetically conscious way. Its external appearance is intended to express its interior – an industrial plant.