Co-operative Group
Co-operative Group is a UK member-owned cooperative operating 2,500+ retail stores across food, grocery, funeral care, insurance, and legal services, serving 6.2 million member-owners as customers and co-owners of the business.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1844
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Co-operative Group does
Co-operative Group is a UK-based member-owned cooperative, founded in 1844 and headquartered in Manchester, operating an integrated consumer retail and services platform across food and grocery, funeral care, insurance, and legal services. The group runs a network of over 2,500 retail stores across the United Kingdom, serving approximately 6.2 million member-owners who simultaneously act as customers and co-owners of the business, and employs more than 10,000 people. Its dedicated operating subsidiary Co-operative Group Funeral Care anchors the non-retail side of the conglomerate.
Revenue is generated primarily through direct-to-consumer transactional sales across the owned physical store network, with the 6.2 million member-owner base functioning as a recurring loyalty and community-driven revenue layer rather than a formal subscription. The go-to-market is predominantly direct-to-consumer via UK storefronts, with no publicly disclosed subscription tiers, rate cards, or platform pricing; transactions are priced at point of sale.
In April 2025 the group suffered a material Scattered Spider cyberattack that produced an estimated £285 million revenue impact, a £107 million profit hit, and an £80 million operating profit loss. The group subsequently reported an underlying operating loss of £35 million for 2025 (versus £131 million profit in the prior year) and an underlying pre-tax loss of £126 million for the year to 3 January 2026, partly reflecting an additional £150 million of costs tied to UK government employment-related policy changes. Management responded with a £200 million cost-cutting programme, a CEO transition (Shirine Khoury-Haq stepping down at the end of March 2026, with Kate Allum appointed interim CEO), and a funding round of approximately $470.5 million dated 28 May 2026.
Co-operative Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Co-operative Group
- Legal name
- Co-operative Group
- Website
- https://co-operative.coop
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1844
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Co-operative Group is a UK member-owned cooperative operating 2,500+ retail stores across food, grocery, funeral care, insurance, and legal services, serving 6.2 million member-owners as customers and co-owners of the business.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Co-operative Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Grocery Retail
- NAICS
- Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Campus / Institutional Food Co-ops (University, Hospital, etc.) (CRAHALAI), Food Co-ops with Online Ordering & Pickup/Delivery (CRAHALAH)
Keywords
Where Co-operative Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Co-operative Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail sales (food and grocery): Core revenue stream generated through in-store sales across 2,500+ UK retail stores. Direct-to-consumer transactional revenue from physical store operations including grocery and convenience goods. Revenue impact of approximately £285m from the April 2025 cyber attack illustrates the scale of this stream.
- Membership-based member-owner engagement: Revenue tied to a cooperative member-owner base of 6.2 million people who participate in the business as both customers and co-owners, providing a recurring loyalty/community-driven revenue base rather than a traditional subscription.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Co-operative Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Co-operative Group operates a UK-wide network of 2,500+ retail food and convenience stores serving 6.2 million member-owners, alongside a Funeral Care division providing end-of-life services. Revenue is generated through in-store sales of grocery and convenience goods and fees from funeral services, with cooperative governance and member dividends returning value to member-owners rather than external shareholders.
Product overview
The Co-operative Group is a UK consumer co-operative operating as an integrated retail-and-services platform rather than a single software product. Its core offering is a network of over 2,500 Co-op retail stores serving 6.2 million member-owners, alongside a Funeral Care sub-brand. The 2026 portfolio is shaped by a £200 million cost-cutting programme announced alongside an underlying operating loss of £35m for 2025 (reversing a £131m profit the prior year), driven by a Scattered Spider cyberattack (estimated £285m revenue and £107m profit impact) and additional costs from UK government employment changes. As a retailer rather than a software vendor, Co-op's offerings are physical-store-based rather than a platform-plus-modules software architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Co-op Retail Stores UK network of 2,500+ Co-op food and convenience retail stores serving 6.2 million member-owners and the broader UK general public for everyday grocery and convenience shopping; significantly impacted by the April 2025 Scattered Spider cyberattack.
- Co-op Funeral Care Funeral care division of the Co-operative Group, providing end-of-life funeral services to UK consumers; referenced alongside the retail business in the company's 2026 strategic and cost-cutting announcements.
Quantifiable outcome
- £285m revenue impact and £107m profit hit from April 2025 cyber attack
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Co-operative Group
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Co-operative Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Co-operative Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- HomeCooksminorHomeCooks launched its products in 10 Co-operative Group stores in Lincolnshire. The arrangement uses Co-op's physical retail footprint as the distribution channel for HomeCooks food products, representing a localised supplier-to-shelf placement within Co-op's UK store network of 2,500+ locations.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Co-operative Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- John Lewis Partnership: UK employee-owned (John Lewis / Waitrose) partnership running Waitrose supermarkets and convenience stores. Closest structural analogue to Co-op's member-owned cooperative model and a direct grocery peer in the upmarket and convenience segment.
- Tesco: UK's largest grocery retailer with thousands of stores and a similarly broad convenience-store footprint. Directly competes with Co-op in neighbourhood grocery and convenience, and is the primary scale competitor on price and range.
- Asda: UK supermarket group (now Issa brothers / TDR Capital owned) operating a large store estate including convenience formats. Direct grocery peer with overlapping customer value proposition at the value end.
- Sainsbury's: Second-largest UK supermarket group with a significant convenience-store estate (Sainsbury's Local) that directly overlaps Co-op's neighbourhood footprint. Comparable product mix, customer base, and UK-only operating geography.
- Central England Co-operative: Regional UK consumer cooperative operating food stores and funeral care across the Midlands. Most direct structural analogue in cooperative ownership, store format, and funeral-care diversification.
- Dignity plc: UK-listed funeral services provider and the largest direct competitor to Co-op Funeral Care. Highly comparable business model, customer base, and demographic exposure in the funeral segment.
- Wm Morrison Supermarkets: UK Big Four grocer with a strong own-brand and convenience proposition. Competes with Co-op in core grocery and is a relevant margin and supply-chain peer.
- Midcounties Co-operative: Large UK regional consumer cooperative running grocery, convenience, and funeral services. Directly comparable cooperative model, member-ownership structure, and product mix to Co-operative Group.
Emerging players
- Aldi (UK): German discount grocer rapidly expanding UK store count. Threatens Co-op's value-end convenience positioning and is a key driver of structural UK grocery margin compression referenced in Co-op's 2025 results commentary.
- Lidl GB: German discounter with a growing UK estate and convenience-format expansion. Comparable to Aldi in pressuring Co-op's neighbourhood grocery economics and forcing reinvestment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Co-operative Group social profiles
Digital presenceCo-operative Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Co-operative Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Co-operative Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Co-operative Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Co-operative Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Co-operative Group
What does Co-operative Group do?
Co-operative Group operates a UK-wide network of 2,500+ retail food and convenience stores serving 6.2 million member-owners, alongside a Funeral Care division providing end-of-life services. Revenue is generated through in-store sales of grocery and convenience goods and fees from funeral services, with cooperative governance and member dividends returning value to member-owners rather than external shareholders.
Is Co-operative Group a public or private company?
Co-operative Group is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Co-operative Group founded?
Co-operative Group was founded in 1844. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Co-operative Group based?
Co-operative Group is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Co-operative Group make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Retail sales (food and grocery) is the primary driver. The others are membership-based member-owner engagement.
Who are Co-operative Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are John Lewis Partnership, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Central England Co-operative, Dignity plc, Wm Morrison Supermarkets and Midcounties Co-operative. Emerging players are Aldi (UK) and Lidl GB.
Does Co-operative Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Co-operative Group.
What industry is Co-operative Group in?
Co-operative Group's product category is Grocery Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHALAA, Member-Owned Food Cooperatives, with a secondary code of CRAHALAI, Campus / Institutional Food Co-ops (University, Hospital, etc.). Its NAICS code is 4451 and its SIC code is 8600.