C4101 - Co-operative associations

Operational Details
Each member of a retail co-op has one vote and they may be elected to office. Each co-op elects a board of directors and the board in turn hires the General Manager of the retail outlet.

Co-operative stores, like a major grocery chain store, provides a wide range of food and non-food merchandise for their members, who receive dividends on their purchases at year’s end. The stores order almost their entire stock from their own in-house supplier, Federated Co-operative Limited.

Co-operative stores operate both in large and small centres, and have a presence in rural communities. Inventories may vary from store to store with agricultural communities having more livestock, and farm related stock, whereas urban areas would have very little agricultural stock on hand.

Store management, clerks, stock personnel, shippers and receivers are common in co-operative stores. The advantage in a co-operative is that volume purchasing allows for lower prices for members. All that one would expect in a general, grocery, department or chain store is supplied through co-operative outlets.

SIC Codes
000000255 - Co-operative association