The rise & fall of the Nottingham Coop!


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In 1968, I left school to become an apprentice electrician for the Nottingham Coop.

At this time they had little red vans, which reflected the politics of the organisation at that time. I worked at Meadow Lane where they had

a Bakery,

Dairy,

Coal Yard,

Transport office,

Greengrocery (with mobile shops)

Maintenance Garage,

Bodyshop,

Fibreglass workshop,

Staff canteen,

Removals Department,

Pork Factory,

Blacksmith,

Mineral water bottling factory,

Shoe repair Factory.

Transport Department.

There were numerouse small shops, one in every area of Nottingham, and many of the villages.

The Main offices being at 243 Derby Road, a large house Corner of Derby Road and Lenton Blvd, extending round on to willoughby ave. The building Department was at Abbey Street Lenton. The main store was Coop House on Parliament Street.

During my time with the Coop, they took over Skegness, Retford and Worksop, Skegness and Long Eaton Cooperative societies. Suddenly the Coop colour turned to blue!

In Latter years to 1975 when I left (redundant) for better things, The Coop began its decline, taken over by bigger societies!

Now tell me how many of those Coop shops are left?

Coop House (gone) to be taken over as HQ by Chilwell(gone)

Coop House (gone), Meadow Lane (all Gone!)

Where were all those shops? What are they now?

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image hosting service Speaking of sensible shoes and socks. Me aged about 7 at the Co-op.

Here's an embarrassing photo of me and my friend Hazel visiting the Co-op Santa.  We were 11 years old - can't remember if I still believed in him at that age!!   I think we were in school uniform....

Thats what i mean Cliff ton,,,what is their policy?  selling some small shops and opening others,,,great memory of Hilton crescent about 1994,,,,two dead leary blokes were going in at night on a regul

I recall the Co-op shop near us during the early seventies would close for an hour at dinnertime, and thursday would be half day closing as well.. funny how times have changed, you can now buy stuff from supermarkets in the middle of the night..

except Tesco .. although they advertise open 24/7, on a recent early sunday morning excursion I was informed they didn't open till 10am.

re the Meadow lane empire..

my theory on the demise was the unfeasibly large amount of ingredients they put into their bacon and tomato cobs.. early morning would regularly see us in the canteen munching through two of these whoppers, NO organisation could possibly sustain this amount of loss and survive!

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I got carried away on 'Austerity'topic when I was reminded of J D Marsdens. and hadnt seen this topic had been started.

Ref Tesco and 24/7 opening -yes bit of an exaggeration isn't it as no shops are allowed to open more than 6 hours on a Sunday except for a few commodities deemed neccessary like booze!! e.g. 10-4 - there is a move a foot at the moment to tryand change this but a lot of opposition is still coming from the 'sunday is a day of rest' brigade.

The Nottingham Coop was one of the biggest and most successful coops in the country but lacking the knowledge or business expeience to compete with the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury, Victor Value, Elmo's etc. They opened one supermarket for about every 6 small shops that they closed but eventually sold off their grocery shops to the CWS and CRS. based in Manchester.

Still struggling on they kept a foot hold in other areas like Furniture and specialist operations like Funeral Directors etc but eventually they bought a national chain of furniture shops (E.L.S.) that was losing a fortune and this quickly went into liquidation for many millions and took what was left of the good old Nottingham Coop with them.

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I recall the Co-op shop near us during the early seventies would close for an hour at dinnertime, and thursday would be half day closing as well.. funny how times have changed, you can now buy stuff from supermarkets in the middle of the night..

except Tesco .. although they advertise open 24/7,  on a recent early sunday morning excursion I was informed they didn't open till 10am.

re the Meadow lane empire..

my theory on the demise was the unfeasibly large amount of ingredients they put into their bacon and tomato cobs.. early morning would regularly see us in the canteen munching through two of these whoppers,  NO organisation could possibly sustain this amount of loss and survive!

I'd have thought that you, of all people, would have hastened to remind us of the huge success story that was/is the Ilko Co-op!

IIRC, it's amazing growth from the 70's? onwards related to being pioneers in the burgeoning cheap travel business by issuing shopping vouchers as a permanent discount, because strict regulations then forbade cash discounts - thus ousting the nationwide travel agency opposition at a stroke.

Fond memories of cheap, but pleasant, lunches in their Regency Rooms - when living in Kirk Hallam and working at Cotmanhay - during the late 60's.

Cheers

Robt P.

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There's a Co-op minimart/garage very near to us, and it seems they've learned the art of commercial exploitation big time.. their fuel prices are the most expensive in town, as is their food and sundry.. I absolutely hate having to shop there, and other than the odd item will avoid like the plague.. the service too is abysmal, queing for what seems an eternity, and to top it all the customer in front ALWAYS wants cashback, and to pay by Visa! .. and sods law also applies, whereby as soon as it's my turn to pay, there's ALWAYS a problem with the till, a bell is rung, and we all have to shuffle over to the next checkout, to start the process all over again.

my advice: stick to Lidl's! .. the food is crap, but at least it's cheap!

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I'd have thought that you, of all people, would have hastened to remind us of the huge success story that was/is the Ilko Co-op!

IIRC, it's amazing growth from the 70's? onwards related to being pioneers in the burgeoning cheap travel business by issuing shopping vouchers as a permanent discount, because strict regulations then forbade cash discounts - thus ousting the nationwide travel agency opposition at a stroke.

Fond memories of cheap, but pleasant, lunches in their Regency Rooms - when living in Kirk Hallam and working at Cotmanhay - during the late 60's.

Cheers

Robt P.

yes to be absolutely fair they do run an excellent travel and holiday agency...

I once booked a fortnite at Butlins with them back in the eighties and remember it was the cheapest I could obtain, the bonus was they also gave a voucher to redeem within their store, and recall it was for a goodly amount..

within the last decade or so the expansion of the travel agency has grown, inasmuch they now occupy a large building on the Manor industrial estate dedicated solely to this side of the operation.

next time I feel need to dip my toes in the sea, I know where i'll be heading for those holiday brochures.

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Funny how nobodys mentioned "the divi".

Wonder how many of us remember our divi number and probably that of our mother too. Our co-op milkman wrote every customers divi number on the wall by their front door so as not to have to ask for it each Friday 'pay your bill day'. Many folk couldnt remember it and he used to have to wait whilst they went to look for it. Ours was 43309 and mum used to look forward to drawing hers to help pay for our hols in the old railway carriage/caravan at Ingoldmills.

p.s.

Most co-op food shops that are around today belong to the Midlands Coop and firms like Ilkeston Co-op are not really Co-ops at all but are private company's using the continued benefit of the name e.g Ilkeston Coop and Chesterfield Coop.

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Early days in the mid to late sixties when I worked for the Co-op bakery delivery, any purchase made by the customers would be recorded in a book along with their divi number etc and stored in the office when we got back to the depot.. this system was later scrapped in favour of a record of purchase card which was issued each customer.. this meant the onus was then on the customer to make sure their purchase history was up to date and duely signed by the roundsman...

regularly these cards would get misplaced, sodden when left out in the rain, or written in pencil and totally illegible, and it also meant any Tom Dick or Harry could sign them for any amount, there would never be a challenge..

can't remember them lasting long , as I recall in the early seventies the divi system on the bakery side had been scrapped altogether, - in favour of giving them nowt!

and it was shortly after this the Bakey service collapsed altogether, to be swiftly followed by the total Meadow Lane empire.

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Re the divi.

It seems that quite a few people worked at the Co at some time or another especially school leavers. I worked at the check office on Chaucer St when I left school and I was one of the girls that did the divi. It was payed out twice yearly and we had to work compulsory overtime on the run up to the pay out.It was all worked out with Powers Samas machines. Punch cards then sorters and lastly tabulators.

Some roundsmen wern't always honest they would put the carbon paper the wrong way round and insert their number instead on the counterfoils that came to us. Some people did save their little checks to prove that they had been underpayed but most didn't bother to keep them. :angry:

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The Coop was a Mutual Organisation that is it was owned by its members/shareholders. Somehow it turned into a PLC without members approval and without reimbursement of the £1 cost of share.  I rang the Coop to query this and I was told that I could register as a cardholder to receive my 'divi'  They did offer to reimburse my £1 if I applied in writing. What a swindle.

 

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Just read all members comments on our CO-OP 

I think every one can remember there mums  "divi "  number ours was 283848

Lets turn the clock back when co-op first open can't recall as too young, but were they not the first to deliver bread and milk to your door and with a little bit of "divi"  back you were in clover. We also had a CO-OP who after shopping there would deliver your groceries.  Very cleaver marketing skills.

I remember the large brown counters, that were U shaped you started at one end and worked your way round, I remember the sugar being weighed and put in blue bags, butter being patted into a square, cutting real bacon on the machine, and last given the assistant your money to be put into a tube and sent up to the finance office, and returning by the tube the other side. 

Maybe they tried to hard, but at least they are still going, and I must admit still like to shop at the Co-op.

PS As it is the only shop where we live and it save's driving to the supermarket for just a loaf, I will still use the CO-OP .

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I can remember my mums divi number and her saying not to forget it. I can remember the Bilborough co-op when the upstairs was open. It used to have shoes, furniture, records and I think white goods. Not sure if it had clothes as well. Mum used to have a book where she wrote her order and I used to drop it into co-op, later a boy on a big black bike with a basket in front for a box would deliver it. They had a good sweet counter as well.

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I can remember our Mam's divi number - 37581 - and also my own when I got married - 100349. I remember the first 'self service' co-op on Wilford Road, the Medders, when I was about eight or so. You handed your shopping bag in at the counter and was given a wire basket for your shopping. You went round the shelves doing your shopping then they swapped bags when they totted your purchases up and took your money.

I remember being gobsmacked at the concept of 'self service'.

I said, 'Surely people will just nick things.' Shows what a naturally larcenous mind I had at that age.

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There was a small Coop near us when I was a child but next door was a Coop fruit and vegetable shop which was in direct competition with Wealthalls on Radford Boulevard. I remember walking round the aisles...all 2 of them...of the Coop and wondering why there were cardboard boxes with Normid written on them.

 

I recall being given some kind of divi receipt which had a purplish, carbonated reverse side. 

 

The big Coop in town seemed light years away from our tiny version but I loved playing about in the revolving doors and tap dancing down those endless black and cream stairways! I thought I was Ginger Rogers! Usually got a telling off!  The Christmas Grotto was something to behold at the big Coop.

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Loved my time 'Converting' some Marsdens/Farrands shops Vernons to self-service,,it would have been early 60s and i was 16/17 yr old,,and part of a team of what were called  ''lay out staff'',,

                         They were all small shops in different parts of Notts,,the older customers had been shopping at them for years and were completely 'non-plussed' with the idea of helping themselves.

                       I took great pleasure in showing them the 'Ropes',, and if they got too grumpy i'd get a chair for them sit em down and do their shopping for em,, lots of 'banter flowed,,i'd often have 2 or 3 of em sat down,,then sit with em, agreeing this self service lark was a 'bind' weren't it...........lol

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Bought some potatoes in Morrison's recently, wrapped in plastic and wet through when I removed them from the bag. Made me think about mum buying potatoes from Wealthalls or the Coop fruit and veg shop when I was a child. They were piled in a large bin, covered in soil and, after they'd been weighed, were tipped into her shopping bag. Same went for carrots, beetroot and any other root veg. Veggies often had beetles in them. Proves they hadn't been sprayed with pesticides. Oddly enough, we survived eating this produce!

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2 minutes ago, Jill Sparrow said:

Bought some potatoes in Morrison's recently, wrapped in plastic and wet through when I removed them from the bag. Made me think about mum buying potatoes from Wealthalls or the Coop fruit and veg shop when I was a child. They were piled in a large bin, covered in soil and, after they'd been weighed, were tipped into her shopping bag. Same went for carrots, beetroot and any other root veg. 

 

That was always my big memory of being in Wealthalls....the smell of fruit & veg when you went in the shop. You don't get that in supermarkets.

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