150 Years and still going strong – Co-op Fortnight
This article will take approximately 3 minutes to read
Published 20 Jun 2022 in Raising Awareness
This year Oxford Society, which is now part of Midcounties, reaches its 150th anniversary. To mark the start of Co-op Fortnight, we’re celebrating this notable milestone with a few intriguing stories from our Society’s past.
Starting out
When Oxford Co-op began there were small co-ops being set up all over the country, providing ‘unadulterated goods’ to local members including oats, sugar, flour, butter and candles.
To start with members often ran the shops themselves. In exchange for a joining fee they received a share of the profits and could have a say in how the business was run. Unusually for the time, women were also able to be members. Co-op societies also followed certain principles, similar to those we work with to today.
Did you know?
In 1794 (50 years before the Rochdale Pioneers) Mongewell, near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, was home to a ‘paternalistic’ business (where the employers showed concern for their workers’ best interests). This was one of the forerunners of the co-operative movement.
A moment in time
By the 1920s Oxford Co-op was flourishing, with a head office in George Street and several stores in the city and branches in Bicester, Witney, and further afield.
In the 1930s it opened a number of department stores. Dances were held in the Carfax Assembly Rooms and there were Pathfinder groups, dance clubs, and talks being held by national figures on issues of the day. Then, as now, donations were made to many local causes.
A diverse business
Oxford Co-op has been involved in a diverse range of activities – some of which might surprise you:
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Dairies |
Car sales |
Sports clubs |
Bakeries |
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Music competitions |
Libraries |
Medical aids |
Women’s guilds |
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Boot repairs |
Coal merchants |
Concerts |
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Did you know?
To celebrate King George V’s silver jubilee in 1935, Oxford Co-op’s bakery supplied one week’s free bread to members. And in 1937 the bakery manager, Mr Moran, entered the Bakers and Confectioners’ International Exhibition in London winning 32 prizes, including Cake Making Champion of the British Isles and the Confectionery Cup!
While some things change, others continue…
Working with other co-ops
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Oxford Co-op supported smaller local co-ops that were struggling, either offering a helping hand or absorbing them if they could not. When mergers happened, members still got a pound for a pound on their savings, which was unusual for a takeover.
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In 1872, Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS) was established to support retail co-ops (including Oxford) in bulk buying produce so they could give members a better price. CWS also ran a number of factories, including a canning factory, flour mills and tea blenders, all according to co-operative principles.
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Further down the line, in 1999 Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-op set up Co-op Futures to provide support for new co-ops starting out. Read more about how we still work closely with them next week.
Supporting education
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In the late 19th century, most children left school at 10 (rising to 12 in 1899). Oxford Co-op invested a portion of its profits into providing education, such as talks on current affairs.
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Before secondary schooling was compulsory, Oxford Co-op provided a scholarship each year to one boy and one girl to sponsor their education at a technical school.
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Many school leavers were taken on as apprentices with the Co-op; this was seen as a good career choice.
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In the 1980s, Oxford and Swindon Co-op established playgroups (run by a single trained professional and local parents) offering childcare and child socialisation before nurseries became widespread.
Local produce
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Oxford Co-op was one of the first co-ops to promote local produce in stores, for example, Freeminer Beer from the Forest of Dean.
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It also operated its own dairy and bakery to ensure the highest quality produce for its members and to support its local economy.
The theme for this year’s Co-op Fortnight is Unwrap Co-ops – celebrate everything you love about co-ops using #UnwrapCoops. Thank you to co-operative researcher Anne Ransome, who provided the information for this article.