A New Year message from our Society Presidents

Elaine Dean (President, Central Co-op):
Hello everyone. I’m Elaine Dean, the President of Central Co-op.

Irene Kirkman (President, Midcounties Co-operative):
And I’m Irene Kirkman, President of Midcounties Co-operative. I just wanted to thank you all for your hard work and commitment, and at this point I’m going to hand over to Elaine.

Elaine Dean:
Thank you, Irene. 2025 has been another very busy year for our Society, and I want to recognise all of our colleagues—particularly those in the food business who worked tirelessly during the cyberattack earlier this year to keep our stores up and running. Their dedication has been extraordinary.

I’d also like to offer a very warm welcome to our new colleagues from Chelmsford Star Society. They have a proud history, and we have promised to honour their heritage and culture wherever possible.

As you’ll know, 2025 was designated the International Year of Co-operatives by the United Nations. As a Society, we’ve very much played our part, with visits from our Malawi partnership managers to our stores and to Co-op Congress. To celebrate the achievements of this partnership, I’m also very excited by the opportunity we now have to build a new Society with members and colleagues from Midcounties Co-operative. I’m very proud to become the first President of the new Society when we come together at the end of January.

I’d like to thank my fellow Directors on the Board and the Executive team, who are incredibly supportive of everything we hold dear and plan to do in our new Society. My New Year commitment is to get out as much as possible during 2026, to see as many of you as I can and to understand what matters to you. Irene.

Irene Kirkman:
Thank you, Elaine. Hello again everyone. I hope you had a good Christmas with your families and loved ones, and I wish you all a Happy New Year and all the best for 2026.

It promises to be an exciting time as we come together with Central Co-op. Together, we have a vision of a strong Society delivering more for our members, our communities, and for you—our colleagues. I’m delighted to be part of the new Society Board, helping to shape and lead this.

I’d like to briefly reflect on 2025, which has challenged us in many different ways. I’ll start with our Support Service teams. I know many of you had to double up, working incredibly hard to deliver the merger while also supporting frontline colleagues. The Board truly appreciates your effort and commitment.

Turning to our trading groups: well done to everyone in Early Years for building on the surge in demand we’ve seen—it’s great to see how this business has performed thanks to your efforts. For Travel, it’s been a tough year, but you’ve held market share and delivered fantastic growth in Co-operative Holidays, a real signature part of the business. We’re all hoping for a strong peaks period in the New Year.

In Utilities, the Octopus partnership is developing well, and it’s been a great team effort to achieve breaking even in telecoms. And finally, our food business—the mainstay of the Society. The year started strongly, then came the cyberattack. Thank you all for your hard work in keeping our stores going through such a frustrating and difficult period. Let’s hope Christmas trading has gone well so we can finish the year on a high.

I’d also like to mention some of our co-operative achievements that really set us apart. First, our member-led sustainability strategy, which tackles issues that matter to members and was recognised with the Golden Grocer Award. Second, during the UN International Year of Co-operatives, we’ve continued to deliver on our pledge to create more co-ops, supporting the creation of 34 co-operatives in partnership with the Plunkett Foundation and Co-op Futures. These are powerful examples of co-operation in action.

So, on behalf of the Board, I bid farewell to 2025. Here’s to 2026 and our merger with Central Co-op. Thank you all for your continued support, and my very best wishes to you for the New Year and beyond.

Elaine Dean:

And I'd like to wish you all a happy festive season, a wonderful and peaceful New Year—and remember to keep on co-operating.

 

Elaine Dean & Irene Kirkman:

Thank you, and Happy New Year.