Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview

1. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview Rodrigo Gouveia Secretary-General European Community of Consumer Co-operatives Communauté européenne des coopératives de consommateurs 26 February 2012

2. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview Outline 1) About Euro Coop 2) Consumer co-operatives in Europe: general figures and concrete cases 3) Challenges and opportunities

3. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • About Euro Coop • European association of consumer co-operatives • Members: national co-operative organisations from 18 European countries • Objectives: • represent the members to the European institutions • allow the exchange of experiences and best practices • provide information on relevant issues

4. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • About Euro Coop • General Assembly and Board • Working groups composed by experts from members working on technical issues: • Food Retail & Consumer Policy • Sustainability • Co-operative Identity

5. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Consumer co-operatives in Europe • General figures (Euro Coop members only): • 18 national organisations • 4,500 local and regional co-operatives • 450,000 employees • 35,000 points of sale • €75 billion annual turnover • 30 million consumers

6. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Consumer co-operatives in Europe • Large diversity in terms of market relevance; types of stores; social activities; member coverage; etc. • Common thread: co-operative values and principles

7. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Consumer co-operatives in Europe • Finland: • 22 regional co-operatives + SOK Corporation • 43% market share • Food retail, hotels, restaurants, petrol stations, banks, etc. • 2/3 of all households have a co-operative member

8. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Consumer co-operatives in Europe • Denmark: • COOP Denmark + FDB • Market leaders with 41% market share • Mainly food retail but also other activities • Very strong consumer information/education policies

9. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Consumer co-operatives in Europe • Italy: • Market leaders; €13 billion turnover • 9 big regional co-operatives with strong integration (Coop Italia) • “COOP” the most loved brand in Italy...

10. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Consumer co-operatives in Europe • Slovakia: • COOP Jednota is the largest society; there is no national association • Market leaders • Excellent work in developing award-winning IT systems for the business and the members

11. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Consumer co-operatives in Europe • Other countries: • Strong presence in UK, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Hungary and Czech Republic; • Smaller but relevant presence in Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus, Ukraine, Romania, Estonia, Netherlands and Portugal • Non-members of Euro Coop with significant consumer co-operatives: Switzerland, France, Russia, Poland and Belarus

12. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Consumer Co-operatives Worldwide (CCW) • CCW gathers consumer co-operatives from around the world • It’s a part of ICA; the sectoral organisation for consumer co-operatives • Consumer co-operatives have a relevant presence in Canada, US, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, and other countries • Euro Coop secretariat also manages CCW

13. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Challenges and opportunities • Competition, competition, competition... • Economic and financial crises

14. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview • Challenges and opportunities • Differentiation • Co-operation among co-operatives

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17. Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview Thank you for your attention!