Celebrating the Co-operative Economy today

Cooperatives are a vital part of the fair tax movement, making up over a quarter of the businesses which have shown leadership by winning the Fair Tax Mark to date. Two of these businesses, Mid-Counties Co-op and The Phone Co-op, were even Pioneers, meaning they led the pack and signed up first.
We’re proud to have the support of this important sector and are thrilled to celebrate their success today, on the launch of their annual Co-operative economy report. The UK Co-operative Economy 2016 can be read online here.
Here are the headlines – and they’re pretty impressive:
• A record number of people are members of the UK’s co-operatives – 17.5 million, an increase of 2.3 million in the past five years
• The sector’s 7,000 independent co-operative businesses are worth £34bn a year
• Retail and agriculture are leading the charge, with credit unions playing an important role in boosting the membership figures
• Co-operatives account for 223,000 jobs across the UK
Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, said:
“As the UK economy picks up, we need to ensure what develops is an economy that works for everyone. The co-operative sector, which is giving people a say over their work, shops and local areas is looking strong for the future and points the way. With 17.5 million members owning everything from high street retailers to credit unions, the co-operative sector is the largest open membership organisation in the UK.”
Do you run a business? Would you like to join the Fair Tax Mark and lead the way to a fairer system? Drop us a line at [email protected].