Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd
Other Business Names:
- CWS
- Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society
- Co-operative Retail Services
- Co-operative Group
- Mitchell, J T W
- Lancia Trust Ltd
- Regan, Andrew
- North of England Co-operative Wholesale Agency & Depot Society
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- Manchester, Manchester, Greater Manchester, North West, England
Sectors:
-
Distribution - wholesaling, broking, market trading, etc
Co-operative society wholesaling & related production
Notes:
Traced origins to 1863 when 300 local co-operative societies in Lancashire and Yorkshire formed the North of England Co-operative Wholesale Agency & Depot Society centred on Manchester. 1873 renamed Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS) on account of having developed a presence throughout England and Wales. Formed to supply retail co-operatives with their merchandise either through manufacture or purchase at wholesale prices. From 1873 established a wide range of manufacturing activities in areas such as food processing, textiles, clothing and footwear production, printing, furniture making, etc, etc. Also developed service activities such as banking, insurance, undertaking, etc. Other wholesale societies merged with it, eg Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society in 1973. 1933 started retail operations which from 1957 were demerged as Co-operative Retail Services. 1962 had 250 factories / farms. As late 20th century progressed manufacturing activities were given up / sold and retail societies merged into it making it primarily a retailing and services entity by end of century. 1997 subject to an opportunist but unsuccessful hostile takeover orchestrated by Lancia Trust Ltd led by Andrew Regan. 1999, following the Regan issue, the CWS and the Co-operative Retail Services merged to form the Co-operative Group which continues in 2024 [2024]
Publications:
- A Consumers' Democracy. An account of the origins and growth of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd and a survey of its present structure and its major activities by Unknown
- A Pioneer Looks at 1944 by Unknown
- All About the CWS, the World's Largest Co-operative Organisation by Unknown
- Bibliography of Co-operative Societies' Histories by Smethurst, John B
- Building Co-operation. A business history of the Co-operative Group, 1863-2013 by Wilson, John F, Anthony Webster & Rachael Vorberg-Rugh
- Building the wholesale. The development of the English CWS and British co-operative business, 1863-90 by Webster, Anthony
- Chapter in the Making of a Successful Co-operative Business. The Co-operative Wholesale Society, 1973-2002 by Yeo, Stephen
- Commemoration of the Twenty-first Anniversary, September 1884, Co-operative Wholesale Society by Unknown
- Consumer's Democracy. An account of the origins and growth of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd by Unknown
- Co-operation and Globalisation. The British co-operative wholesales, the Co-operative Group and the world since 1863 by Webster, Anthony
- Co-operative Architecture, 1945-1959. A pictorial review of some of the schemes for which the CWS Architects' Department has been responsible by Unknown
- Co-operative Production by Jones, Benjamin
- Co-operative societies. Sources for historians by Hooper, Trevor
- Co-operative Society Transport by Aldridge, Bill
- Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd. Commemoration of twenty first anniversary, September 1884 by Unknown
- 'Co-operativism meets City ethics. The 1997 Lancia takeover bid for CWS' in Anthony Webster et al (eds), The Hidden Alternative. Co-operative values past, present and future by Wilson, John F
- CWS in War and Peace, 1938-1976. The CWS in the Second World War and Post War Years by Richardson, William
- CWS of Today. An illustrated survey of achievements by Darling, George
- CWS. The first hundred years, 1863-1963 by Unknown
- CWS Today. Illustrated account of the present position of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd by Unknown
- England's Co-operative Movement. An architectural history by Pearson, Lynn
- Future of the Co-operative Dry Goods Trade. A basis for discussion and some proposals for full exploitation of the Movement's resources by Unknown
- Guide to CWS Production. A list of grocery and allied production, their brand names and sources of supply in alphabetical order by Unknown
- 'J T W Mitchell and the shaping of the Co-operative Wholesale Society' in B Lancaster & P Maguire (eds), Towards the Co-operative Commonwealth. 150 years of co-operation. Essays in the history of co-operation by Melmoth, Graham
- Jubilee. The story of fifty years by Unknown
- Looking Back. A brief guide to the archives of the Co-operative Wholesale Society's South East Retail Group by Roffey, Ron A
- New History of the CWS by Redfern, Percy
- Report of the Boards of the CWS and the SCWS Recommending the Amalgamation of the Two Societies by Unknown
- Sixty Years of the CWS. The world's greatest co-operative trading institution, 1864-1925 by Unknown
- Sixty-four Years of the CWS. The world's greatest co-operative trading institution, 1864-1929 by Unknown
- Stocking the store. Co-operative retailers in North East England and systems of wholesale supply, circa 1860-77 by Purvis, Martin
- Story of the CWS. The jubilee history of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd, 1863-1913 by Redfern, Percy
- Strategic alliances and competitive edge. Insights from Spanish and UK banking histories by Batiz-Lazo, Bernardo
- The Co-op. The people's business by Birchall, Johnston
- The Co-operative Movement in Britain. From crisis to 'renaissance', 1950-2010 by Wilson, John, A Webster & R Vorberg-Rugh
- 'The Society and its employees' in P Redfern, Story of the CWS. The jubilee history of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd, 1863-1913 by Redfern, Percy
- The 'Wholesale' of Today; being an illustrated account of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd by Unknown
- Told in Brief. The history and purpose of the CWS by Redfern, Percy
- Who Was J T W Mitchell? by Yeo, Stephen
Groups:
Other Business Names:
- CWS
- Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society
- Co-operative Retail Services
- Co-operative Group
- Mitchell, J T W
- Lancia Trust Ltd
- Regan, Andrew
- North of England Co-operative Wholesale Agency & Depot Society
Locations city-town / local authority / county1974 / region-state / country:
- Manchester, Manchester, Greater Manchester, North West, England
Sectors:
- Distribution - wholesaling, broking, market trading, etc Co-operative society wholesaling & related production
Notes:
Traced origins to 1863 when 300 local co-operative societies in Lancashire and Yorkshire formed the North of England Co-operative Wholesale Agency & Depot Society centred on Manchester. 1873 renamed Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS) on account of having developed a presence throughout England and Wales. Formed to supply retail co-operatives with their merchandise either through manufacture or purchase at wholesale prices. From 1873 established a wide range of manufacturing activities in areas such as food processing, textiles, clothing and footwear production, printing, furniture making, etc, etc. Also developed service activities such as banking, insurance, undertaking, etc. Other wholesale societies merged with it, eg Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society in 1973. 1933 started retail operations which from 1957 were demerged as Co-operative Retail Services. 1962 had 250 factories / farms. As late 20th century progressed manufacturing activities were given up / sold and retail societies merged into it making it primarily a retailing and services entity by end of century. 1997 subject to an opportunist but unsuccessful hostile takeover orchestrated by Lancia Trust Ltd led by Andrew Regan. 1999, following the Regan issue, the CWS and the Co-operative Retail Services merged to form the Co-operative Group which continues in 2024 [2024]Publications:
- A Consumers' Democracy. An account of the origins and growth of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd and a survey of its present structure and its major activities by Unknown
- A Pioneer Looks at 1944 by Unknown
- All About the CWS, the World's Largest Co-operative Organisation by Unknown
- Bibliography of Co-operative Societies' Histories by Smethurst, John B
- Building Co-operation. A business history of the Co-operative Group, 1863-2013 by Wilson, John F, Anthony Webster & Rachael Vorberg-Rugh
- Building the wholesale. The development of the English CWS and British co-operative business, 1863-90 by Webster, Anthony
- Chapter in the Making of a Successful Co-operative Business. The Co-operative Wholesale Society, 1973-2002 by Yeo, Stephen
- Commemoration of the Twenty-first Anniversary, September 1884, Co-operative Wholesale Society by Unknown
- Consumer's Democracy. An account of the origins and growth of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd by Unknown
- Co-operation and Globalisation. The British co-operative wholesales, the Co-operative Group and the world since 1863 by Webster, Anthony
- Co-operative Architecture, 1945-1959. A pictorial review of some of the schemes for which the CWS Architects' Department has been responsible by Unknown
- Co-operative Production by Jones, Benjamin
- Co-operative societies. Sources for historians by Hooper, Trevor
- Co-operative Society Transport by Aldridge, Bill
- Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd. Commemoration of twenty first anniversary, September 1884 by Unknown
- 'Co-operativism meets City ethics. The 1997 Lancia takeover bid for CWS' in Anthony Webster et al (eds), The Hidden Alternative. Co-operative values past, present and future by Wilson, John F
- CWS in War and Peace, 1938-1976. The CWS in the Second World War and Post War Years by Richardson, William
- CWS of Today. An illustrated survey of achievements by Darling, George
- CWS. The first hundred years, 1863-1963 by Unknown
- CWS Today. Illustrated account of the present position of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd by Unknown
- England's Co-operative Movement. An architectural history by Pearson, Lynn
- Future of the Co-operative Dry Goods Trade. A basis for discussion and some proposals for full exploitation of the Movement's resources by Unknown
- Guide to CWS Production. A list of grocery and allied production, their brand names and sources of supply in alphabetical order by Unknown
- 'J T W Mitchell and the shaping of the Co-operative Wholesale Society' in B Lancaster & P Maguire (eds), Towards the Co-operative Commonwealth. 150 years of co-operation. Essays in the history of co-operation by Melmoth, Graham
- Jubilee. The story of fifty years by Unknown
- Looking Back. A brief guide to the archives of the Co-operative Wholesale Society's South East Retail Group by Roffey, Ron A
- New History of the CWS by Redfern, Percy
- Report of the Boards of the CWS and the SCWS Recommending the Amalgamation of the Two Societies by Unknown
- Sixty Years of the CWS. The world's greatest co-operative trading institution, 1864-1925 by Unknown
- Sixty-four Years of the CWS. The world's greatest co-operative trading institution, 1864-1929 by Unknown
- Stocking the store. Co-operative retailers in North East England and systems of wholesale supply, circa 1860-77 by Purvis, Martin
- Story of the CWS. The jubilee history of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd, 1863-1913 by Redfern, Percy
- Strategic alliances and competitive edge. Insights from Spanish and UK banking histories by Batiz-Lazo, Bernardo
- The Co-op. The people's business by Birchall, Johnston
- The Co-operative Movement in Britain. From crisis to 'renaissance', 1950-2010 by Wilson, John, A Webster & R Vorberg-Rugh
- 'The Society and its employees' in P Redfern, Story of the CWS. The jubilee history of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd, 1863-1913 by Redfern, Percy
- The 'Wholesale' of Today; being an illustrated account of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd by Unknown
- Told in Brief. The history and purpose of the CWS by Redfern, Percy
- Who Was J T W Mitchell? by Yeo, Stephen