The Co-Operative supermarket is a limited business established in 1863 in Manchester, England. The company exists in the secondary sector and provides both products and services internationally to around 10 million customers per week. The business is owned by Peter Marks which employs 87,000 people in 4,300 stores with 2,500 recently refurbished. The Co-Operative Group also owns Somerfield, a subsidiary of the company. It is a large business which has a turnover of around 9.4 billion (2007). Each of the two and half million members has a say on how the business is run. The Co-Operative’s own food range is ethically sourced and sells food grown from their own farms making them the only retailer to do so. The products and services the Co-Op provides are mainly used by the working class to middle class and the business has earned a decent reputation and incorporates Ethical Trading to the company’s name as they are big supporters of fair trade. The Group’s online shop sells a wide range of products like electrical products/computers, furniture, music, films, games and books and they deliver their products for free and take an old appliance away (if necessary) for environmentally friendly disposal.
