Welcome

The East of England Co-operative Society is the largest independent retailer in the region and the third largest independent consumer Co-operative in the UK, with an annual turnover in excess of £400 million and more than 5,000 employees.

The Society’s diverse business activities include: food stores and supermarkets, department and home stores, jewellery, travel, pharmacy, optical, funeral branches, petrol forecourts and motor dealerships. It has more than 200 trading outlets, which are located in 73 towns and villages, plus the three regional centres of Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester, as well as over 350 commercial and residential investment properties.

The organisation is growing both organically and through acquisition. Being totally self-funded with no debt, it has a major development programme allocated to upgrade existing businesses and acquire new ones.

The Interim Report shows that trading profit has increased by £464,000 or 9.4% over the equivalent period last year.  Total profit before distributions and taxation was £8.2 million, up by 25%.   Group sales for the 28 weeks to 9th August 2008 were £207 million with sales in all current trading operations showing an increase of 3.9%.  

The Society’s core business, Food Retail, recorded a significant like-for-like sales increase of 6.3%, well ahead of many of the Society’s major competitors.

Despite the economic climate, which has deteriorated considerably during the year, the Society has maintained its commitment to investing for future growth as well as improving its underlying level of trading profit.