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# Lichfield retailer named in top five co-operatives in the UK for second year running
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/lichfield-retailer-named-in-top-five-co-operatives-in-the-uk-for-second-year-running/
- Published: 2021-07-07T06:25:00.000Z
- Updated: 2021-07-01T20:32:01.000Z
- Description: A Lichfield retailer has been named in the top five co-operatives in the UK for the second year in a row.
- Author: Lichfield Live
- Tags: Business, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:15, News

![Central England Co-op store sign](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/generic-food-sign.jpg)

A Lichfield retailer has been named in the top five co-operatives in the UK for the second year in a row.

Central England Co-op – which operates more than 400 food stores, funeral homes and florists – was named fifth in the top 100 in the Co-op Economy Report.

The company was named alongside the likes of John Lewis and Arla Foods at the top of the table.

The Co-op Economy report reveals turnover, membership and employee figures for thousands of co-op enterprises across the country, with the 2021 study revealing that such businesses were four times less likely to go bust than other companies.

Co-operatives UK chief executive Rose Marley said:

> “We know co-operatives are resilient and sustainable businesses, but it’s not just their resilience that is critical to reducing the inequalities in the UK – it’s fundamentally about ownership.  
>  
> “People are looking for a stake in the places they live, work and consume and the co-op model distributes this decision-making power.  
>  
> “Why are co-ops so resilient? The co-operative purpose, ownership and governance all dictate long-termism.  
>  
> “In an economic shock it’s the members calling the shots in their collective, long-term interests, not investors making decisions based on short-term returns.  
>  
> “We are increasingly excited by the growth and interest in what is becoming known as the democratic economy – and co-ops also anchor wealth in local communities, which brings a whole plethora of additional benefits.  
>  
> “We’re now calling for more business support to grow this increasingly valuable sector. To have even more impact in terms of levelling up the economy, co-ops need the support that other business models receive as a matter of course.  
>  
> “Co-ops have been marginalised and underrated for far too long.”  
>  
> Rose Marley, Co-operatives UK

The bosses of nine of the largest retail societies in the UK, including Central England Co-op, have jointly written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak calling for more tailored business support for co-operatives.