The "Co-op" refers to supermarkets, convenience stores, funeral directors, a small number of department stores and other businesses owned by a variety of independent Co-operative societies but largely marketed and operated in a co-ordinated way. Image File history File links Co-oplogo. ... Exterior appearance of typical American supermarket (a Safeway) A supermarket or grocery store is a store that sells a wide variety of food. ... A convenience store is a small store or shop, generally accessible or local. ... A funeral director (also known as a mortician or undertaker) is someone involved in the business of funeral rites. ... Interior of a typical Macys department store. ... A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an association of persons who join together or co-operate, to carry on an economic activity of mutual benefit. ...

As with all other co-operative businesses, customers of the Co-op may become members of the society. This enables them to have some say in the operation of the business. The Co-op traditionally provided a dividend – the "divi" – for its member shoppers. The society will make a payment to the customer based on the customers' spend with the Society in the previous trading period. The co-op is not a company; it is a mutual business: it is run for the benefit of its members. It does not have to consider shareholders like private companies.

In United Kingdom, the nationwide Co-operative Group, formerly the Co-operative Wholesale Society (or "CWS"), owns many of its own supermarkets, as well as supplying goods wholesale to the majority of British co-operative societies, providing a common branding and logo. It has been suggested that Co-op (supermarket) be merged into this article or section. ...

In Scandinavia, the national cooperations of Norway, Sweden and Denmark joined as Coop Norden A/S in 2002. Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe named after the Scandinavian Peninsula. ...

In the United States, the Park Slope Food Coop in New York City is the largest wholly member-owned and operated food coop in the country. Flag Seal Nickname: The Big Apple, The Capital of the World[1], Gotham [2], Metropolis Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ...

In Italy the Coop Italia chain formed by many sub-cooperatives controls at 2005 the bigger part of the grocery market with the 17,7% of the total.

See also

• Health food store
• Supermarkets in the United Kingdom
• Ipercoop

A health food store is a type of grocery store that primarily sells natural or organic foods, and often nutritional supplements. ... The UK supermarket sector is dominated by Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, and Sainsburys, which are the only chains which operate full-scale superstores of 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) or more. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

External links

UK Consumer Co-operatives

• The Co-operative Group
• Anglia Co-op
• Chelmsford Star Co-op
• Channel Islands Co-op
• Co-op Pharmacy
• Heart of England Co-op
• Ilkeston Co-op
• Langdale Co-op
• Leeds Co-op
• Lincoln Co-op
• Midlands Co-op
• Musselburgh & Fisherrow Co-op
• Manx Co-op
• Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-op
• Penrith Co-op
• Plymouth and South West Society
• Scottish Midland Co-op
• Shoefayre
• Southern Co-op
• The Phone Co-op
• Tamworth Co-op
• United Co-op
• West Midlands Co-op
• Wooldale
• Yorkshire Co-op

US Consumer Co-operatives

• Artichoke Co-op
• 4th Street Co-op
• Park Slope Co-op

This article about a retailer in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. The UK supermarket sector is dominated by Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, and Sainsburys, which are the only chains which operate full-scale superstores of 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) or more. ... For other uses, see ASDA (disambiguation). ... Morrisons store in Morecambe, Lancashire. ... J Sainsbury plc is the parent company of Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd, commonly known as Sainsburys, which is a chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. ... Tesco PLC is a United Kingdom-based international supermarket chain. ... For the Feast of Booths, see Sukkot. ... Budgens is a chain of foodstores in the United Kingdom, founded in 1872 by Mr Edward Budgen. ... the Co-operative Group is a United Kingdom consumers co-operative, one of the largest consumer-owned businesses in the world. ... A Farmfoods shop Farmfoods is the name of a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. ... Marks & Spencer plc (known also as M&S and sometimes colloquially as Marks and Sparks or Markss) is a British retailer. ... Somerfield is the 5th largest food retailer in the United Kingdom as of 2005, operating as Somerfield Stores Ltd. ... Waitrose is a British supermarket chain owned by the John Lewis Partnership, with 174 branches (February 2006). ... Costcutter is a franchise banner in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. ... Londis is a UK and Ireland based retail chain. ... This article is about the convenience store. ... ALDI is an international hard discount supermarket chain based in Germany. ... Kwik Save is a discount supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. ... A Lidl in Cornwall, UK Lidl (either leed-ul as pronounced in German and in recently-launched British TV commercials, or lid-ul) is a European discount supermarket chain of German origin that operates 5,000 stores. ... Netto logo A Netto store in Copenhagen Netto is a Danish based chain of discount supermarkets. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Drawing of a self-service store. ...