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PRIVACY
Retail & Consumer

Co-op targets new shops and expanding membership in growth strategy

CEO says: 'Over the past year our underlying financial strength has enabled us to support our colleagues and their communities'

Co-op CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq says she wants to offer greater benefits to members(Image: Co-op)

The Co-op has said it plans to snap up new convenience shops and rapidly grow its membership programme as part of its new growth strategy.

The company, which has operations ranging from grocery stores to funerals, also said it is launching a new round of price cuts for its members on Wednesday as it seeks to accelerate sales growth.

The Co-op has seen its food operation lose market share over the past year, according to analysts at Kantar, as many shoppers have turned to discounter rivals in the face of tighter budgets.

In September, the group also revealed a dip in revenues of around £200m for the half-year to July, compared with the same period a year earlier.

However on Wednesday, the company said it saw improved momentum last year through growth in its membership programme, increasing by almost 15% to around five million members, who also become part-owners in the co-operative.

It said it now plans to grow this to eight million members by 2030 as part of its fresh growth plan.

The plans are intended to help support growth across its core businesses, which cover food, funerals, legal and insurance.

In grocery, the Co-op said it is seeking to grow its share of the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ convenience market, with ambitions to buy new potential Co-op shops.