Retail and wholesale

Retail and marketing co-operatives…

  • Provide lower prices to customer members
  • Provide competition and choice in the wider market
  • Support a range of community activities
  • Share wealth with its customers through sharing profits through dividend

Provide lower prices to customer members

Consumer co-operative shops are driven to provide the best possible products at the lowest price to customers, rather than to maximise profits to investor shareholders.

Provide competition and choice in the wider market

The different business focus from competitors means that co-operatives are often pioneering in providing different choices to customers, such as local sourcing, fair trade products or environmentally friendly packaging.  These can have a profound effect on the general market by changing consumer behaviours. 

Support a range of community activities

As community owned businesses, co-operatives will focus on helping the people that the businesses belong to by providing additional services to local people.

Share wealth with its customers through sharing profits through dividend

The original Rochdale co-operative model led the way with profit sharing by returning money to customers in proportion to their purchases, and this is continued today through cash dividend payments that share the success of the business with customers who have made it happen.

Retail and wholesale examples

Caboolture Community Work Cooperative

Caboolture Workers Co-op

The Caboolture Workers Co-op manages a social enterprise coffee shop at the Morayfield Health Hub.
Established Year: 2006
Carpet One

Carpet One

Carpet One Floor & Home is the world's largest co-operative retail floor covering groups, with over 2,000 stores in Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.
Established Year: 1994
Co-operative Supermarkets Australia Limited

Co-operative Supermarkets Australia Limited

A co-operative of independent supermarkets and liquor stores which are branded or unbranded and operating in Australia.
Established Year: 2019
Emerald and District Co-operative Society Logo

Emerald and District Co-operative Society

Supplies the needs of local residents of the Dandenong Ranges and operates Barry Plant Emerald Real Estate and a Bendigo Bank agency.
Established Year: 1945
Go Vita logo

Go Vita

Go Vita is Australia’s largest health food retail group, committed to making a difference in its local communities with ethical, quality products and honest health advice.
Established Year: 1987
Independent Liquor Group Logo

Independent Liquor Group (ILG)

Australia’s largest liquor co‑op. Member owned business working to obtain the best service and benefits for its members. ILG is committed to providing choice and flexibility to service its member’s diverse business models through its banner groups: Fleet Street, Bottler, Super Cellars, The Liquor Co-op, Clubmart and Pubmart.
Established Year: 1975

Irrigear

Largest network of independently owned water specialist retailers in the country – with owner-operated locations across Australia.
Established Year: 2000
MakeItWithMBL

MBL

MBL was formed in 1905 by South Australian butchers to service the meat industry. Members consist of retail and wholesale butchers, supermarkets, smallgoods manufacturers, abattoir operators, boning room operators, and seafood and poultry manufacturers and retailers mainly in South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Victoria.
Established Year: 1905
RapidClean logo

RapidClean

RapidClean is owned by cleaning supply experts operating their own stores. It provides customers with the support of a national organisation while providing a local service, offering a single source, cost-effective one-stop-shop solution. Their stores stock all the major brands of industrial, commercial and environmentally friendly products.
Established Year: 1988
TAFCO Rural Supplies

TAFCO Rural Supplies

Connects with its community through its rural merchandise store and providing goods and services.
Established Year: 1987
Terang & District Co-operative Limited

Terang & District Co-operative Limited

Community owned and operated enterprise meeting the needs of local shoppers, farmers and other trades.
Established Year: 1908
Barossa Co-op

The Barossa Co-op

The Barossa Co-op is one of the largest and longest-standing retail customer co-ops in Australia. It is not only a successful business, supplying retail products and services to its members and community, but also creates financial, human and social and relationship capital for its members, suppliers and the business.
Established Year: 1944
UCS logo

Union Co-operative Society

Provides business, residential housing and retail services to members in Paddington, Brisbane.
Established Year: 1969
Yenda Producers Logo

Yenda Producers Co-operative Society Ltd

The Yenda Producers Co–operative provides its farmer members with comprehensive farming products, services and farming advice from a team of highly trained and experienced agronomists and horticulturalists.
Established Year: 1925