Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative, trading as Central Co-op, is a regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom, based in Lichfield and trading from over 460 sites across the English Midlands and East Anglia. The business is owned and democratically controlled by its members who can stand for election to the board and who also share in the society's profits. A proportion of the profits of the business are also invested in local community groups through its community dividend grants programme and its more than 60 member classes.
The Society's key businesses are its 252 foodstores and over 175 funeral directors which mostly trade using the 2008 version of The Co-operative brand. The co-operative also has nine florists, three stonemasonry outlets, a coffin factory, a crematorium and recently added seven Insomnia coffee shops; it has 1,731,005 members and 7,500 employees.
Registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, Central England Co-operative is the second largest independent retail co-operative in the UK and was formed in 2014 following the 2013 merger of the Anglia Regional and Midlands Co-operative societies. The society has a permanent seat on the board of Co-operatives UK; it is an Independent Society Member of The Co-operative Group, the largest consumer co-operative in the world and the national buying group, Federal Retail Trading Services.
Following overwhelming approval of members of both societies, the legal completion of merger with Warwick-based Midcounties Co-operative concluded on 26 January 2026, with the launch of the OurCoop family of businesses.
History
On 19 September 2013, it was announced that the boards of Anglia Regional Co-operative Society and Midlands Co-operative Society had agreed merger terms. Approved by members on 4 and 18 November, legal completion of the merger took place on 1 December, with the Anglia Society transferring engagements to Midlands Co-operative. On 15 January 2014, members of the merged society approved a change of name to Central England Co-operative effective from 25 January 2014.In 2017, members of the small neighbouring Wooldale Co-operative Society in West Yorkshire voted to transfer engagements to Central England Co-operative.
In 2022, the Society rebranded as Central Co-op and adopted the International Cooperative Alliance marque.
Following a vote meeting the required majority at special general meetings held on 16 July and 5 August 2025, Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society transferred engagements to Central Co-op on 15 September, enlarging its trading area to include mid-Essex.
On 1 October 2025, Central England Co-operative and the Midcounties Co-operative announced that they were exploring the possibility of merging into a single society, which would have more than one million members, 13,000 employees and £1.8bn in annual sales.
On 17 November, Midcounties held its first special members’ meeting to vote on the transfer of engagements; on 19 November, Central Co-op held a special members’ meeting to vote on required changes to the rules; and on 2 December, Midcounties held its second special members’ meeting to confirm the transfer.
Anglia Regional Co-operative Society
Tracing its origins to 1876, Anglia Regional Co-operative was formed by the merger of the Greater Peterborough Regional and Anglia co-operative societies in 1987. Headquartered in Peterborough, the Society principally traded in the eastern counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, although it had gained wider outreach through the acquisition of co-operative department stores in Yorkshire and the South East of England.Following divestment of the Westgate department store and AHF businesses to JE Beale and the UKs largest worker co-operative, Anglia Home Furnishings Holdings, in 2011, Anglia Co-operative operated 27 retail stores, eight petrol stations, 21 travel agents, three opticians, a hair salon and 29 funeral homes. At the time of merger with the Midlands Co-operative it had 405,134 members and 1,600 employees.
Midlands Co-operative Society
Tracing its origins to Derby in 1854, the Midlands Co-operative Society was formed by the merger of the Central Midlands and Leicestershire co-operative societies in 1997. Headquartered in Lichfield, the Society traded in the English counties of West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West and South Yorkshire through two distribution centres.Following the merger of Midlands Co-op Travel and The Co-operative Travel with the retail branches of Thomas Cook in 2012, the Midlands Co-operative operated 200 retail stores, 15 petrol stations, 22 post offices, nine florists, two motor car dealerships and 90 funeral homes. At the time of merger with Anglia Co-operative it was UK Co-operative of the Year with 1,005,474 members and 7,000 employees.
Trading
The Society's principal activities are grocery retail, petrol stations and funeral services, although it also has interests in coffin manufacture, florists and manages a significant investment property portfolio. It operates through a number of brands aligned with The Co-operative Group.Food retail, petrol stations and distribution centres
Food retail is the Society's core business, generating around 70% of total turnover. Prior to 2024, a distribution centre in Leicester supplied 235 supermarkets and convenience stores while also providing a service to neighbouring Heart of England and Tamworth co-operative branches.Following the 2022 rebranding, the business chose to join the LIDIA distribution network, becoming part of a national co-operative distribution and logistics operation that serve 4,000 stores with 13 distribution centres across the UK. This enabled the business to reinvest funds by opening 17 new stores in one year.
In 2021, the business began a new venture with Insomnia Coffee Company, launching the first Central Co-op Insomnia food-coffee hybrid shop.
22 food stores contain a Post Office counter and most offer Yodel postal services.
Central England Co-operative also operates 18 petrol filling stations with some of these associated with the co-op's larger supermarkets. However, it also operates a number of stand alone petrol stations, five of which were acquired through the purchase of Shaws Petroleum in 2013.
Funeral & end of life services
Central England Co-operative operates over 175 funeral homes throughout the Midlands and East of England, many under the original private names. It is a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors and its funeral bond scheme is monitored by the Funeral Planning Authority. The society also operates three memorial masonry showrooms across its trading area and operates a coffin manufacturing business.The Society owns Bretby Crematorium, set in woodland grounds adjacent to the A511 Leicester to Burton upon Trent road between Burton and Swadlincote.