Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview

European Community of Consumer Co-operatives Communaut europenne des coopratives de consommateurs

Rodrigo Gouveia
Secretary-General

26 February 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview

Consumer Co-operatives Worldwide (CCW)

CCW gathers consumer co-operatives from around the world Its a part of ICA; the sectoral organisation for consumer cooperatives Consumer co-operatives have a relevant presence in Canada, US, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, and other countries Euro Coop secretariat also manages CCW

Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview

Challenges and opportunities

Competition, competition, competition... Economic and financial crises

Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview

Challenges and opportunities

Differentiation Co-operation among co-operatives

Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview

Rank (2010) 1 2 3 4 5 ... 20? ... 25? Coop Italia Italy 12.8 TCG UK 15.9 Company Carrefour Metro Group Tesco Schwarz Aldi Country France Germany UK Germany Germany Turnover (billion ) 90.1 67.3 53 e. 52 46

Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview

Rank 1 Company Carrefour Country France Turnover (billion ) 90.1

2
3 4 5 6

COOP
Metro Group Tesco Schwarz Aldi

Europe
Germany UK Germany Germany

80
67.3 53 e. 52 46

Consumer co-operatives in Europe: overview

Thank you for your attention!