Annual Report 2025-26

Society reports £844.6m turnover, £9.5m underlying operating profit and £24.5m investment programme in final year as a standalone Society, ahead of opening a new chapter as OurCoop with more than a million Members

• Final reporting year for Central Co-op as a standalone Society, ahead of the transfer of engagements with The Midcounties Co-operative on 26 January 2026
• £844.6m turnover, gross margin improvement net assets increased by £48m and £24.5m invested in new stores, technology platforms and on-site renewable energy generation
• OurCoop now serves more than one million Members across food, funeral, travel, post office, energy and finance services, supported by 13,000 colleagues

Ahead of its Annual Members Meeting today (20 May 2026), OurCoop has published the annual report and accounts for Central England Co-operative Limited – the final report for Central Co-op as a standalone Society, ahead of the transfer of engagements that has created OurCoop, the UK’s largest independent co-operative society.^[i]

Debbie Robinson, OurCoop Chief Executive Officer, said: “This report closes one chapter and opens another. Central England Co-operative ends its final standalone year having delivered solid results, grown net assets by £48m and invested significantly in what comes next.

“2025 was the year three independent societies made a deliberate choice - to stay independent and to do it together. Our Members voted for that future overwhelmingly and OurCoop now stands as the UK’s largest independent co-operative, with ambition to deliver more for our Members and our communities.

“My thanks to our colleagues, our Board and our Members for bringing us to this point. The work now is to build on what we have laid down - with purpose and at pace.” 

Over the year, turnover was £844.6m, with trading profit of £4.3m and gross profit margin increasing by 55 basis points to 29.9%. Underlying operating profit was £9.5m (£11m in 2024/25).

In total, the Society invested £24.5m during the year. Six new stores opened and thirteen more were regenerated. Digital funeral services continued to develop, alongside the rollout of solar generation across the estate – part of a clear short- to medium-term ambition for OurCoop to be energy self-sufficient. The Society exceeded its in year green energy target and now produces enough green energy to power the equivalent of all the former Chelmsford Star sites.  These investments and others help to improve productivity, lower running costs and create lasting value for Members.

The Society also saw member engagement strengthened. 175,000 new Members joined during the year, up from 124,079 in 2024/25. By year-end, 310,000 Members had downloaded the Society Members app and active Member participation reached 37%. Members earned more than £5m in Rewards through their everyday shopping, alongside their regular Share of the Profits.

Most significantly, 2025 was the year that members of Central Co-op, Chelmsford Star and Midcounties Co-operative voted to come together. Following overwhelming Member votes, OurCoop now serves more than one million Members and 13,000 colleagues across a unique family of co-operative businesses – spanning food and convenience, funeralcare, post offices, travel, energy and finance.

The year included market disruption, notably the cyber-attack on Co-operative Group in May which affected supply across the wider co-operative network. With its own systems unaffected, the Society’s diversified family of businesses traded through the disruption and continued to serve Members and customers.

OurCoop members can register to attend the AMM online or in-person at eight different venues by visiting the following websites: https://www.midcounties.coop/membership/events/

https://membership.centralengland.coop/membership/events

[i] The accounts cover Central England Co-operative for the period to 24 January 2026, plus Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society from its transfer of engagements on 15 September 2025. The Midcounties Co-operative transfer completed on 26 January 2026, immediately after the close of the reporting period.