COMING TOGETHER TO ADDRESS COMMON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL NEEDS

Retail and Marketing

Customer-owned shops

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 focus on helping their customers and people in the local area.

Share wealth with its customers through sharing profits through dividend

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

Examples

Bhive Co-operative

bHive is based in Bendigo, Victoria. Local Bendigo residents will build, operate and own the platform that will build over time to provide skill sharing, car sharing, lifts, food sharing, logistics, house sharing, crowdfunding, insurance and lots more.

Year established: 2016

Type: Customer Owned, Platform Co-operative

Industry: Purchasing and Supply Services, Retail and Marketing

Community Co-operative Store (The Barossa)

The Barossa Community Co-operative Store is one of the largest and longest-standing retail customer co-operative 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.

Year established: 1944

Type: Customer Owned

Industry: Retail and Marketing

Emerald and District Co-operative Society

The Emerald & District Co-Operative has been operating since 1945, supplying the needs of local residents of the Dandenong Ranges. The co-op also operates Barry Plant Emerald Real Estate and a Bendigo Bank agency. Starting with seven members, the co-operative now has 3,000 shareholders.

Year established: 1945