CO-OP MEMBERS HELP SHAPE WORLDWIDE SPENDING OF PROFITS

The Heart of England Co-operative Society is lending its weight to a national campaign to tackle climate change and raise living standards in the developing world.

The region’s largest independent retailer, which has branches across Coventry, Warwickshire and south Leicestershire, will also help raise the profile of children and young people who go out of their way to making a positive contribution to society.

It follows an extensive community consultation exercise in which 70,000 Society members and customers were asked for their views on the national and international issues which needed tackling as a matter of priority.

The consultation was carried out across the country by the wider Co-operative Group. Nationally, more than 53,000 members from 10 Societies responded with their views, including more than 2,100 from the Heart of England Co-operative Society.

As a result the Co-operative has listed the achievements of children and young people, climate change and raising the standard of living in the developing world as three priority areas. It has drawn up the Co-operative Community Plan which will be followed by Societies across the country.

Ali Kurji, Chief Executive of the Heart of England Co-operative Society, said: “Last year the profits invested back into the community by the Group topped £10.4 million. It is a huge sum of money and as a Co-operative it is only right that we give our members and customers a say in how that money is shared.

“Again this year we are expecting thousands if not millions of people in Britain and worldwide will reap dividends from our profits which we feel are going to some very worthy causes. As a Society we are grateful to all of our members who helped complete the survey and helped shape how the Co-operative will spend its profits this year.”

Today the Heart of England Co-operative is widely regarded as the top ethical retailer in the area due to its pioneering credentials in areas such as Fairtrade and climate change. In 1992 it was the first supermarket to embrace Fairtrade products, by stocking Cafedirect, and followed this in 2000 by introducing the UK’s first Fairtrade bananas.