The Midcounties Co-operative

What The Midcounties Co-operative does

The Midcounties Co-operative is a UK member-owned cooperative society headquartered in Warwick, operating a diversified portfolio of consumer-facing businesses including food retail (230+ stores under the FoodCoop/Your Co-op Food brand), travel agency services (TravelCoop), energy supply (EnergyCoop), childcare nurseries (Little Pioneers), funeral services (FuneralCoop, now under Central Co-op), mobile and broadband telecommunications (MobileCoop, BroadbandCoop — marketed as the UK's only cooperative telecoms suppliers), and over 70 post offices. The society operates on a one-member-one-vote democratic governance model where members hold at least one £1 share, earn points on purchases, and receive a Share of Profits dividend plus community fund contributions. The core technology stack comprises a centralized cooperative membership and retail management platform, the Your Co-op Membership mobile app (virtual card, points, e-vouchers), an online membership portal, and the Younity joint venture platform with Octopus Energy facilitating 380+ power purchase agreements with community energy organisations. Strategic partnerships include Olio for food waste redistribution (5.4M items saved), LoweConex for refrigeration energy management (£100K cost savings, 400,000 kWh saved), Fairphone for sustainable handsets, Ripple Energy for consumer-owned wind, and Too Good To Go for surplus food sales.

Following completion of a three-way merger with Central England Co-operative Limited and Chelmsford Star on 26 January 2026, the combined entity now operates as OurCoop — the UK's largest independent cooperative Society with 400 food stores, structured as a multi-business cooperative rather than a unified software platform. The society generates revenue through transactional sales (food, travel, post office) and recurring subscriptions (energy, childcare, mobile, broadband), with no external parent, venture capital ownership, or public listing. Headcount is reported between 4,500+ and 5,001-10,000 employees.

Name

The Midcounties Co-operative

Legal name

The Midcounties Co-operative Limited

Website

https://midcounties.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1830

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Midcounties Co-operative is a UK member-owned cooperative operating food retail (230+ stores), travel, energy, childcare, telecoms, and post office services, which merged in January 2026 with Central Co-op and Chelmsford Star to form OurCoop, the UK's largest independent cooperative Society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Retail and Consumer Services

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Stakeholder Grocery Cooperatives (CRAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Co-ops with Online Ordering & Pickup/Delivery (CRAHALAH), Food Co-ops with In-Store Prepared Foods & Deli (CRAHALAF), Post Office Network & Retail Counter Services (TLAAAAAF)

Keywords

• Food retail
• Cooperative society
• Travel agency services
• Energy supply
• Childcare nurseries

Headquarters

HQ city

Warwick

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food Retail: Revenue from food store operations, convenience stores, and grocery retail across 230+ locations. Members earn points on purchases.
2. Travel Services: Revenue from travel agency operations including package holidays, cruises, and travel money services through TravelCoop
3. Energy Supply: Revenue from electricity and gas supply through EnergyCoop, including community power tariff and renewable energy offerings
4. Childcare Services: Revenue from Little Pioneers nurseries providing childcare from 3 months to 5 years
5. Funeral Services: Revenue from funeral planning and services through FuneralCoop partnership with Central Co-op
6. Telecommunications: Revenue from mobile (MobileCoop) and broadband (BroadbandCoop) services
7. Post Office Services: Revenue from over 70 post offices throughout communities
8. Membership Investment Returns: Share of profits paid to members based on points earned, with first 1,000 points donated to Community Fund annually

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Midcounties Co-operative is a member-owned co-operative society operating a diversified portfolio of consumer-facing businesses across the UK. It runs 230+ food retail stores, travel agency branches, energy supply, broadband and mobile telecommunications, childcare nurseries, funeral services, post offices, and business communication solutions, all unified under a single membership programme with points-based rewards and share of profits.

Product overview

The Midcounties Co-operative operates as a diversified co-operative business offering a portfolio of retail and service products. The core offering includes food retail through Your Co-op Food stores, travel services via Your Co-op Travel, nursery childcare through Little Pioneers, funeral services from Central Co-op Funeral, broadband and mobile telecommunications through Your Co-op Broadband and Mobile, and energy supply via Your Co-op Energy. Supporting these is a membership program accessible through the Your Co-op Membership App, which consolidates points, rewards, and digital membership cards. Younity, a joint venture with Octopus Energy, powers the community energy initiatives. The society also operates Post Office services across multiple locations. This is a multi-business co-operative model rather than a unified software platform, with no named technology products or modules available to external developers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Your Co-op Food Grocery retail operations including convenience stores and food markets, with membership points and rewards for individual consumers and households.
• Your Co-op Travel Travel agency services offering package holidays, cruise bookings, and travel money through partnerships with providers including Co-op Holidays, Jet2, easyJet Holidays, and TUI, for individual travellers.
• Little Pioneers Nursery and childcare services operating across multiple locations, offering early years education and care for children aged 3 months to 5 years.
• Central Co-op Funeral Funeral planning services offering pre-paid funeral plans and funeral director services for individuals and families.
• Your Co-op Broadband Internet service provider offering full fibre broadband packages with download speeds up to 900Mbps, no in-contract price rises, and a carbon neutral service for residential customers.
• Your Co-op Mobile Mobile telecommunications service offering SIM-only and handset plans, including Fairphone devices with modular design and extended software support for individual consumers.
• Your Co-op Energy Energy supplier offering Fixed and Flexible Tariffs powered by 100% zero carbon renewable electricity and gas, including a Community Power Tariff sourced from locally-owned community energy projects.
• Your Co-op Post Office Post office services offered through over 70 locations across communities, providing mailing, financial, and government services.
• BusinessSolutionsCoop Business communication solutions providing essential mobile, broadband, and landline services for ethical businesses and organisations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400,000 kWh in energy savings and £100,000 in cost savings through LoweConex partnership across half estate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• LoweConexcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Technology partnership for Conex OS centralized intelligence platform providing energy management, maintenance, and capital decision-making for retail stores. Midcounties achieved over 400,000 kWh savings and £100,000 cost savings through this platform.
• OliocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Food waste redistribution partnership saving 5.4 million grocery items from being wasted. 400 OurCoop Food stores partnered with the app. Store colleagues alert local volunteers when surplus food is available.
• Big Solar Co-opcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2022Partnership supporting community solar energy projects and installations.
• Too Good To GominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2021Partnership for tackling food waste through surplus food sales at reduced prices.
• Younity (Joint Venture with Octopus Energy)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2021Joint venture supporting more than 380 power purchase agreements with community energy organisations. Younity drives community energy access, funding, volunteering, and policy influence.
• WWFminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 September 2020Partnership for environmental and sustainability initiatives.
• Ripple EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2020Partnership for UK's first consumer-owned wind farm at Graig Fatha in South Wales. Co-op Energy and Octopus Energy as launch partners.
• London Array Wind FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate Power Purchase Agreement for offshore wind electricity supply from Thames Estuary wind farm, supplying up to 56 GWh of green electricity annually.
• Community Heartbeat TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for installing life-saving defibrillators at food store locations.
• EcologiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partnership supporting tree planting - over 250,000 trees through MobileCoop and BroadbandCoop, nearly 50,000 via Co-op Travel.
• Co-operative Climate ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for climate action initiatives supporting environmental sustainability.
• FairphonecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner10-year partnership for sustainable mobile phones. Fairphone 5 available with unique 5-year warranty and software support till 2033.
• HubbubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental partnership for recycling initiatives including soft plastic collection scheme.
• Go BeyondminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing holidays for vulnerable children, with over 760 children enjoying breaks.
• Community Energy EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership working with organisations to influence policy and regulatory changes for community energy.
• AspirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployment hub driving employment and enterprise opportunities in Oxfordshire. Partnership supporting homeless people with employment.
• Community Energy Organisations (100+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with community-owned renewable energy schemes including solar installations on schools and local buildings. Supported by £1.5m Community Energy Kickstart loan.
• Central Co-op (Merger)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerger completed January 2026 creating OurCoop, UK's largest independent co-operative Society.
• Chelmsford Star (Merger)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerger completed January 2026 creating OurCoop, UK's largest independent co-operative Society.
• Little Pioneers NurseriescoreOthersNursery chain with over 20 locations across UK providing childcare from 3 months to 5 years. Includes Generation Play care home visit programme.
• Food Bank Partners (70+)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with food banks providing vouchers and donations. Food bank fund established with £25,000 initial donation plus member contributions.
• Local CouncilsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local councils including schemes for feeding children over school holidays and COVID-19 mobile testing sites.

Scale indicators21 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Central England Co-operative: Identical UK independent co-operative society model (food, travel, funeral, post office, energy services) and the explicit merger partner that formed OurCoop in January 2026—the closest possible comparator in business model, member governance, and product/service portfolio.
• The Co-operative Group: The UK's largest and most diversified consumer co-operative, operating food retail, funeral, legal, insurance, and pharmacy services through a member-owned model. Directly comparable to Midcounties in co-operative values and member-points mechanism, but at substantially greater national scale.
• Lincolnshire Co-operative: Regional UK co-operative operating food, pharmacy, funeral, travel, and post office services with member dividends—virtually the same diversified co-operative template as Midcounties, but anchored in Lincolnshire. Closely comparable governance, scale, and community positioning.
• East of England Co-operative Society: Suffolk and Norfolk-based regional co-operative society operating food retail, funeral services, travel, and post offices with member benefits—structurally and operationally analogous to Midcounties with overlapping Eastern England trading area after the OurCoop merger.
• Scotmid Co-operative Society: Scottish member-owned co-operative running convenience food stores, post offices, and funeral services through a similar dividend-paying member model. Directly comparable cooperative retail and post-office footprint, though geographically focused on Scotland.
• Chelmsford Star Co-operative: Essex-based regional co-operative society and the third partner in the January 2026 OurCoop merger. Operates food, funeral, and convenience services with member benefits—same single-region co-op model as Midcounties prior to merger.

Broad incumbents

• Tesco: UK's largest grocery retailer with national supermarket, convenience, online, and (until sale) energy propositions. Competes head-on with Midcounties' food stores and provides the scale benchmark against which the co-op's procurement, range, and pricing are judged.
• Waitrose & Partners: UK premium-positioned grocery retailer owned by the John Lewis Partnership that competes with Midcounties in the ethical/sustainability segment through strong Fairtrade, animal welfare, and community-connection positioning—the closest large-format competitor on values rather than price.

Emerging players

• Octopus Energy: The UK's largest challenger energy supplier and direct joint-venture partner with Midcounties in the Younity community-energy platform. Directly comparable on renewable-tariff positioning, customer-experience innovation, and decentralized-energy strategy.

Regional players

• Central Co-op Funeral (within OurCoop): The funeral-planning business that absorbed Midcounties' Funeralcare operations in 2021 and now sits within OurCoop—relevant as the integration shows how co-operative peer consolidation in adjacent (non-grocery) services operates, and a benchmark for funeral-services economics at UK co-op scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/midcountiescoop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC63BATNWYF_vvkVCjIs51tg
• Facebookfacebook.com/themidcountiescooperative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midcounties-co-operative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Midcounties Co-operative