News

Chelmsford Star Co-operative was delighted once again to have fully contested elections at its 2013 Annual General Meeting held on 29^th April, 2013.

The meeting, chaired by its president Pauline Dodd, took members through both trading performance and forthcoming initiatives prior to voting.  She commented;

“Despite the difficult trading environment, the Society was still trading profitably and that members should be much encouraged by its positive performance.”

The Society posted gross takings of £93.7m which was the 15^th successive year of above inflation growth.  ‘Like for like’ sales growth was up 4.9% and net profit at £1.6m was up 14% on the previous year.  She paid particular attention to the travel and funeral department’s record results.

During the meeting the President also paid tribute to the contributions from recently retired Head of Finance and Society Secretary, Roger Myddelton and retiring Chief Executive Officer Tony Gudgeon. She also formally welcomed the new Chief Executive Officer Barry Wood, Chief Financial Officer, Lisa Waghorn and Secretary Ellen Tredwin.

The results of the voting were as follows;

Board of Directors;

·         Judy Saunders

·         Lance Gardner

·         Susan Sullivan

·         Roger Simons

 

Membership Council;

·         Kevin Bennett

Members’ Council;

·         Gary Martin

·         Susan Charsley

·         John Knott

·         Lois Bowser

Members, customers, and employees of Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society have in the last twelve months, raised over £36,000 for local assistance dog charity, Canine Partners.

During the period, raffles, dress-down days, shopping events, dog washes and other money making ideas all helped the Society to achieve £36,234 for its sixth Charity of the Year.  This was up over 3% on the previous year when the Society’s cause was Families InFocus (Essex).

Lindsey Hurrell, Essex Community Fund Raiser for Canine Partners said;

“It’s been a great year working with Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society and this fantastic amount of money that has been raised will go towards supporting the Essex Satellite and existing partnerships in the area as well as helping people with disabilities who are in the process of applying for one of our dogs.  It costs the charity £20k to fully train a dog from selection as a puppy right through to it being partnered with a person for around 10-12 years.”

“There is a list of people in our region requiring a canine partner and our dogs can give a disabled person a new lease of life.  They really can make a huge difference to their independence and quality of life.  This can include helping with simple daily tasks such as picking up dropped items, helping someone out of bed and getting undressed to unloading the washing machine or helping with the shopping.”

 “On behalf our charity, I would like to thank everyone who either gave their time or money to help in our campaign, it is so much appreciated.”

The Society has to date raised in excess of £180k for local charities and is now looking forward to working with its seventh, recently chosen by its employees, Essex Dementia Care.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society has pledged to support Essex food and drink producers by stocking their produce across the Society’s 37 convenience food stores.  They are also proposing a huge tasting event in Chelmsford City Centre.

The Star Co-op is a founder member of an annual event called Co-operative Fortnight which is a national campaign that raises awareness of co-operative businesses in the UK.  This year Co-operatives Fortnight runs from 22 June to 6 July 2013 and focuses on how co-operatives are local, loved and trusted.

Co-operatives across the country including Chelmsford Star will use the period to highlight different aspects of what makes them different to other business models.

Vanessa Howard Marketing & PR Manager at the Star Co-op said;

“We believe that playing our part in the local community is vital to the economy from employing over 850 people to supporting local businesses.  This year we want to focus on Essex food and drink producers as we have some superb products made within our county and we want to shout about them.”

"We have for some time been committed to supporting regional producers in our convenience food stores and we work closely with Tastes of Anglia, the membership organisation that supports and promotes food and drink producers across East Anglia.  Many of the regional products we currently carry are supplied to our stores via their distribution service.”

“We have taken the decision to strengthen that relationship by partnering with Tastes of Anglia in this project to source and showcase food and drink products specifically from Essex based producers under a project called  -  The Only Way is Local, support your Essex producer."

 

The Society currently stock over 20 Essex produced brands covering beer, wine, pies, ice cream, sausages and bacon, crisps, preserves and pickles and others. However, it suspects that there is more Essex food and drink suppliers still to be found and would be delighted to hear from them.

On Thursday 4^th July from 6pm to 9pm, the ‘quadrant’ Chelmsford will showcase its current range of Essex producers where visitors can learn more about the products and production as well as tasting just what Essex has to offer. 

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star is to hold its Annual General Meeting (213^th Members’ Meeting) in its quadrant department store, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford on Monday, 29^th April at 6.30pm.

President Pauline Dodd will report on the growth of the Society which has been continuous year on year for well over a decade and will pay tribute to the current Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon who retires at the end of the week. Tony and his executive team were instrumental in the Society growth not only in sales but more importantly profitability.   

Members will be updated on the Society trading position via presentations, which will share the Society’s plans for the immediate future to further increase its strength and size through both developments and acquisitions. It will also introduce the Society’s new Charity of the Year for 2013/14. Over the last 6 years, more than £170k has been raised for local charities including Canine Partners (Essex) which was the most recent charity to benefit.

As for elections, 9 candidates will contest 4 Director positions; 1 Membership Committee position and 4 Members’ Council positions, Pauline commented;

“This was an extremely healthy position to have so much interest shown by members wishing to take an active role in the Society. It is also encouraging to see the growing trend in postal voting.”

All members are encouraged to come to the meeting to learn more about their Society and those that attend will receive 1000 points to be added to their Co-operative Membership Card.

Copies of the Society’s Financial Accounts are available from customer services in the quadrant department stores and the website www.chelmsfordstar.coop.

A study into how to make holes could save shoppers millions of pounds in wasted food.

After two years of intensive research a team of scientists has worked out precisely how large each hole in food packaging should be - and exactly where to place them - to make fresh produce last longer. 

The findings could have a dramatic effect across the entire fresh fruit and veg. industry, by extending the stay-fresh period of some products for up to two days.

The Co-operative Food’s technical expert, Iain Ferguson, said:

“Thanks to this study on holes, British growers will be able to make the most of their crops, and customers will be able to keep them fresher for longer. 

“This is a major breakthrough in our continuing search to provide our customers with extra value, which is why we’re calling it the Holey Grail.

“Our new-style holes will save customers money - a great advantage when money is tight.”

The size and distribution of holes in food packaging affects the amount of moisture lost by all fruit and vegetables from the moment they are packed.

Too much moisture loss means the fresh produce will dry out quickly, losing taste and quality, yet too much moisture left in the pack will create condensation, encouraging the growth of damaging mould.

During the study, scientists for The Co-operative’s packaging supplier, Paragon, examined how hole size affects air velocity, diffusion, and moisture transfer.

Sophisticated mathematical formulae were used to determine the optimum size of each hole and to identify where each hole should be placed according to the size of each pack.

And complex hole theory models were used to match hole distribution to the pattern of moisture loss, which varies across every range of fruit and veg. 

Computer-guided laser etching machines were then used to punch tiny holes into the packaging in precisely the right pattern – each of which is product specific.   

Packs of large vine tomatoes (400g) will be the first Co-operative product to use the new market-leading packaging technology, which will be rolled out to stores from next month.

Around 55,000 tonnes of tomatoes, costing almost £100m, are thrown away every year from UK homes because they haven’t been used in time*.  

According to WRAP, each year we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes in the UK, more than half of which is food and drink we could have eaten. Wasting this food costs the average household £480 a year, rising to £680 for a family with children - the equivalent of around £50 a month.

Richard Swannell, Director of Design and Waste Prevention at WRAP said:

“WRAP welcomes this innovation by The  Co-operative Food.  Food waste is a serious issue, and as our research shows packaging can have a significant role to play in helping reduce unnecessary food waste.”

The Co-operative’s Iain Ferguson said:

“This study has shown us that there’s a whole lot more to making holes than anyone realised.

“Taking the time to make the right size of hole in the right place will ensure that pre-packed fruit and veg. bought by our customers will last for as long as possible.

“Extending the shelf life of each product will also enable every aspect of our supply chain, from grower to store, work more efficiently, reducing considerably the amount of fresh produce that is ruined through spoilage.

“This may be the first time that anyone has ever developed a branch of science devoted to making holes, but the findings will help customers to avoid burning a hole in their pocket.” 

Mid-Essex based Co-operative, Chelmsford Star has just donated and delivered a refurbished transport van to Colchester Charity, Re-Cycle: Bicycle Aid for Africa.

The Society has been supporting Re-Cycle since last summer when they joined forces and collected over 400 unwanted bicycles from the Chelmsford area.  These were picked up from local homes by the Society’s warehouse staff and delivered to Re-Cycle’s depot in Colchester, but they hadn’t anticipated the huge interest by the public.

The Society’s President, Pauline Dodd, explained;

“We realised that the Charity didn’t have its own transport and had to rely on people bringing their own bikes to its depot. Donating a vehicle was a better use of everyone’s time and resources, and should enable the Charity to collect more bikes. Ultimately this will benefit more people in Africa”.

The brain-child of founder Merlin Matthews, Re-Cycle is a registered Charity which started in 1998, and whose mission has been to ship unwanted bicycles to Africa where the transport and development go hand-in-hand.

Merlin Commented;

“We are so delighted with the generous van donation from Chelmsford Star Co-operative. This will allow us to expand and collect from more drop-off points which we are keen to set up.”

“Many of the bikes were sent to Ability Bikes, one of our African partners which, appropriately, is a co-operative! Based in Ghana, it is owned and operated by physically challenged people, often the after-effects of polio.”

To date Re-Cycle has shipped over 44,000 bicycles as well as parts and tools, making a huge difference across 16 under-developed countries.  In rural Africa, where there is no public transport, people have to walk long distances to access water.  For many people, a bicycle can be the first step out of poverty and towards a better life.

Re-Cycle accepts bikes in any state, as damaged ones can be stripped down for parts. These parts are shipped to bicycle workshops in Africa, providing additional employment.

Pauline Dodd added;

“This charity ticks many boxes, as a donation of a bike will not only lessen landfill, but can provide both a job, and finally a lifeline to someone.”

If you have an unwanted bike that you would like to put to good use, please contact Re-Cycle on 01206 841 268 or email info@re-cycle.org.

The campaign plan and materials for Co-operatives Fortnight (22 June to 6 July), the UK co-operative sector’s national campaign, have been unveiled to the co-operative and mutual sector.

Co-operatives Fortnight 2013 was formally announced at Co-operatives UK’s National Retail Consumer Conference in Solihull in late February. Delegates had the opportunity to pose with Fortnight props and see the materials for this year’s campaign.

The focus of the campaign – to encourage people to ‘choose co-operative’ because they are ‘local, loved and trusted’ – was praised at the conference by keynote speaker Celine Riverain,( Head of International Research at the leading retail analysts IGD), who commented;

“Given current trends, it is perfect marketing to highlight that co-operatives are local, loved and trusted.”

The website – at www.uk.coop/choosecoop - provides co-operative retailers and individual members and employees with a range of resources to download or order.

The range includes postcards and props, posters and pictures, logos and leaflets, factsheets and films, standard messages and stickers – which are useful for individuals and retailers alike.

Ed Mayo, (Secretary General of Co-operatives UK) added;

“This year we want a consumer focused campaign to highlight the diversity of the co-operative sector and reinforce positive perceptions of co-operatives as local, loved and trusted.

“We’ll be encouraging co-operatives retailers – from community owned to shops to Co-operative Food stores – to remind their customers why they are local, loved and trusted.

“And we’ll be encouraging individual members or employees to help people find new co-operatives they’ll love, whether in the local area or online.”

Although the Fortnight begins in late June, the awareness raising campaign will begin in earnest earlier in June and co-operatives and their members are being encouraged to get their plans for the Fortnight finalised.

The campaign will include:

·         A full range of materials for download and order

·         Co-operative activities up and down the UK

·         A website and app to help people choose co-operatives

·         Fun films for social media

·         New research and focused media campaign

·         A series of local ‘choose co-operative’ events across the country

·         Congress, the premier co-operative event at the heart of Co-operatives Fortnight

Chelmsford Star Co-operative will be supporting a series of 18 short films for the Fortnight on the Co-operative difference and asking stakeholders in Essex and other UK regions why they love their co-op.

To download the resources or find out more visit www.uk.coop/choosecoop

The immediate post Christmas period has proved challenging for most retailers, driven largely by the continuing economic malaise.

In the first five weeks of the 2013/14 financial year which ended on 2^nd March, the Society has recorded “like for like” growth of £181,066 – 2.08%.

Commenting on the figures, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “It isn’t a surprise that retailers such as ourselves are finding trading conditions difficult, consumers’ incomes in real terms continue to be under very severe pressure.

Our increase of 2.08%, whilst below what we would have hoped for, is better than many others; our Travel, Furniture and Funerals business have all exceeded our expectations, however we are flat in terms of Food growth”.

A suggestion has been made that a members’ visit be made to Lesotho in the near future, May or June being possible dates.

The purpose of the visit is partly goodwill but it will also be an opportunity to help the project in a number of practical ways.

The cost will be in the region of £1,700; if any member is interested, please contact Ellen Tredwin, Secretary.

 

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society recently ran its annual ‘Meet the Directors’ evening as an introduction to encouraging members to become more active in the corporate governance structure. This year the Society has nine spaces available which it is looking to fill at the Annual General Meeting on 29^th April.

A well attended audience sat through a number of presentations by the Executive team on the Society’s trading performance, activity in the community and governance opportunities. The event finished with a speed meeting exercise with existing board members allowing participants a more personal opportunity to ask more in-depth questions. 

Society Secretary, Ellen Tredwin commented;

“We had a good attendance of people with a wide range of backgrounds and experience, and I am very encouraged from their response following the event. Quite a number have indicated that they will be looking to take their interest further by submitting an application to stand for one or more of the positions available”.

The Society has been running a ‘Meet the Directors’ event for some years which has always supplied a pool of candidates to draw from to enable the Society to have fully contested elections.

Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon will retire on 4^th May 2013, having served the Society for 15 years and the Movement for over 50 years.

Barry Wood will become Chief Executive Officer on 5^th May 2013.

Society President, Pauline Dodd stated, “The Board and members are grateful to Tony for ensuring a smooth transition over to Barry and for his tremendous achievements in making Chelmsford Star the profitable and respected Co-operative it is today”.

 

 

Fairtrade sales within Chelmsford Star have reached a new record in the financial year ended 26^th January 2013.

Total sales amounted to £866,188, growth of 4.66%.

Head of Food, Stuart Hammond stated, “The past year has seen general food sales remain flat with many retailers reporting nil growth.

We are delighted with the commitment of our members and customers to Fairtrade because it is they who have made this impressive growth figure possible.”

Members will be aware that former Director and member, Mr C Fegan had indicated his desire to pursue a number of grievances against the Society, and to seek resolution via independent and binding arbitration as per the Society’s rules.

The Society, at considerable cost, facilitated the request.  Mr Fegan has however, not complied with the requirements of the rules in the matter of paying certain monies and has also not complied with a request by the independent arbitrator to make a written submission within prescribed timescales.

The arbitrator has now ruled that the matter is closed.  The Society is pleased that this matter is now closed but regrets the considerable expense which has been incurred.

Ethical energy supplier Co-operative Energy has reached 100,000 customers less than two years after entering the energy market.

Over one thousand customers are now joining every day and the business, which is based in Warwick and part of the Midcounties Co-operative, now employs a team of 80 staff.  The business is on target to break even in its second financial year.

Reaching the 100,000 customer milestone means that Co-operative Energy is mounting a serious challenge to the Big 6 energy suppliers. At launch in May 2011, Co-operative Energy promised to tackle the dominance of the Big 6 suppliers on issues of trust and transparency by offering a simple tariff and fairer pricing.  

In December, Co-operative Energy bucked the market by reducing its electricity prices by 2 per cent. This fulfilled Co-operative Energy’s pledge to provide customers with consistently competitive prices and to pass on to customers savings in wholesale energy prices.  The price cut established Co-operative Energy, which was the only supplier to freeze prices for the whole winter, as being £104 cheaper than the average Big 6 standard tariff for online direct debit and £198 cheaper for offline quarterly credit.

Ben Reid OBE, Chief Executive of The Midcounties Co-operative said:

 “Reaching this key milestone in less than two years is a great achievement. The progress made by Co-operative Energy in such a fiercely competitive market has been nothing short of astonishing. We continue to grow at a rapid rate as consumers look for a genuine alternative to the Big 6. I am pleased that Midcounties has created one of the new pillars of the co-operative economy, extending the trusted co-operative brand to a hundred thousand more homes in the UK.”

Co-operative Energy is endorsed and promoted by Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society.

HUNDREDS of food parcels are to be distributed to elderly and vulnerable people through the Surviving Winter Appeal, thanks to the backing of the Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society.

The appeal has already given vital help to many people at risk during the winter months by distributing warm packs and making financial donations. Now the food packs will be an extra lifeline made possible through the appeal, which is being co-ordinated by local charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation (ECF) in partnership with the British Red Cross and Age UK Essex.

The aim is to distribute a total of 400 food packs over the next few weeks in an operation which will see all the organisations involved working together to make sure that vulnerable and elderly people, who may be afraid to go out in icy conditions, have the essentials they need to see them through the worst of the cold weather.

Vanessa Howard, Marketing and PR manager for Chelmsford Star Co-operative said:

“We are delighted to be supporting the Surviving Winter Appeal once again, following on from the support we gave last year. The organisation and co-ordination needed for bringing in extra stock and putting the food packs together is quite a tall order, but everyone is pulling out all the stops to help. Our head of food, Stuart Hammond, has been exceptionally supportive and all our staff wants to make sure that we give help to those who need it. We have stores in areas where there are people who need support and our shop in Kings Road, Chelmsford is involved in the food pack project, right in the heart of where help is need the most.”

The packs will contain mostly Co-operative branded food items including soup, tea, UHT milk, porridge, tinned vegetables, meat and fish, rice pudding and biscuits.

People who have requested warm packs through the Surviving Winter Appeal will receive food packs, which will be delivered by the Red Cross.

The packs are being funded through the Surviving Winter Appeal and Chelmsford Star Co-operatives contribution is to provide the organisation, manpower and supplies.

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star is currently on its annual recruitment drive to fill vacancies within its governance structure.

Now in its 146th Year with an annual turnover in excess of £90m, the society is one of  Mid- Essex’s biggest employers, with a workforce of over 800.

The strategy and way forward for this ambitious organisation is determined by a non executive board of 10 Directors, all of whom are voted into their position by the membership.

These Directors come from a variety of background; some are employed in commerce, industry or the commerce sector, whilst others are now retired. However, they all have two things in common – a belief in Co-operative Principles and a desire to work together for the benefit of all Members and the community.

They meet monthly in the evening with the Chief Executive Officer, whose role is to guide and advise the Directors before implementing agreed policies. All Directors give at least three hours a week to their position and receive regular training.

If you have enthusiasm and experience in matters that could benefit other members, customers or the communities in which it serves then you may be just what the Society is currently looking for. For those that may wish to be involved at a slightly lower tier  initially, there are elected places available on both the Membership Committee and Members’ Council.

So, if you need a fresh challenge, believe in the ethics of the Co-operative and are people minded this could be a rewarding option.  Why not find out more by contacting the Society for more details or reserve a place at the ‘Meet the Directors’ evening on Tuesday 26^th February in the ‘quadrant’ department store, Chelmsford. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.

Simply ring Rita Knott on 01245 216914 or visit our website www.chelmsfordstar.coop for more details.

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star has embarked on its annual search for its next ‘Charity of the Year’ for 2013/14.

Pauline Dodd, Society President said;

‘The Board of Directors are currently looking for local registered charities to put themselves forward as potential candidates backed up with a written statement on what the funds are required for. They compile a short list in mid-February and then invite the 800 members of the Society’s employees to vote on their preference.

The name of the charity with the most votes is declared at the annual general meeting at the end of April. After which the new charity and Society work together on fund raising ideas for the year, including collecting tins featured at over 150 till points as well as sponsored events and raffles.

As the Society trades from 48 branches from Braintree to Southend-on-sea, prospective candidates should be able to demonstrate that their cause would be recognised by customers across all stores. Charities are encouraged to make contact with the Society’s stores with assistance and support in all major initiatives as and when required.

Chelmsford Star is now more than half way through with this year’s nomination, Canine Partners (Essex)

Lindsey Hurrell, Essex Community Fundraiser at Canine Partners (Essex) said;

“We were delighted to have been chosen as Chelmsford Star’s ‘Charity of the Year’. The money raised will make a huge difference by enabling us to help many more people with the supply of an assistance dog.”

In 2011/2012 the Society raised just under £35 000 for Families in Focus (Essex) and over the past 5 years has raised well in excess of £150 000 for Essex charities.  

Interested parties should email Pauline Dodd at coty@chelmsfordstar.coop or write to her at 220 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 OLS by 31^st January 2013.

Gross takings for the important five week “Christmas period” ended 5^th January 2013 grew by 3.14% on a “like for like” basis of comparison.

Commenting on the Society’s performance Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “In common with most other retailers, we have found trading in the last five weeks to be very challenging, our emphasis on good availability, strong promotions and good service has given us a respectable result”.

The Society’s convenience food business was up 3.82%, Travel grew by 19.0%, whilst Departmental Stores were down 2.86%.

The staff at local Co-operative, Chelmsford Star was recently given a special award for charity fund raising, by the judges at the prestigious Pride of Essex Awards 2012, held at the Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford.

The Society had just topped £150k which it had raised over the past 5 years across 5 local charities who were each chosen as a Charity of the Year.  

The Pride of Essex Awards has been supported by Chelmsford Star for many years, but on this occasion it was the Society’s turn to be surprised with an award.

Founder of the awards Susie Cornell said;

“The judges heard in passing just how much the staff at Chelmsford Star had raised and were so impressed that we thought it was only right that their efforts were at least recognised by way of a special award.”

By the end of next February, Chelmsford Star will have decided on its 2013/14 Charity of the Year, any interested parties should visit their website www.chelmsfordstar.coop for full information.

Society President, Pauline Dodd and Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon attended a national Chief Executive Officers and Presidents’ Forum held at the Co-operative Group’s new £100m Head Office, 1 Angel Square, Manchester on 10^th December.

Commenting on the Forum, the Society President stated, “The Group’s new Head Office is enormously impressive and very much an expression of confidence in the future”.

Society Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “The consensus amongst the Chief Executive Officers was that the economy is a long way from improving sufficiently to benefit retailers and this year will prove very difficult in terms of growing profitability”.

 

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society is to officially open a new funeral branch at Jutland House, in Great Dunmow on Monday 17^th December at 11am. There will be a procession of funeral vehicles along the High Street at 10.45am finishing at the new site including a very special Rocket Hearse ( bespoke motorcycle hearse) provided by the Midland Co-operative Society. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Dunmow will then officiate with the release of doves after a poignant tune from a piper. Finally, the chapel of rest inside will be blessed by the Reverend Cilla Hawkes.  

This will be the Society’s 7^th funeral branch in the region, although it also trades food and department stores in Braintree and surrounding area.

The branch will be run by Family Liaison Officer, Clare Smith from Braintree and the funerals will be conducted by Annemarie Litchfield.

Clare said;

‘We trade very successfully in Braintree and when this site became available we took the opportunity to extend our trading base.  Being part of a Co-operative we are very community orientated and I am looking forward to getting to know and working with the people of Great Dunmow. ‘ 

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Funeral Services has been trading for over 75 years and is renowned for their customer service and have won numerous awards including ‘Best Customer Service’ in the Mid-Essex Business Awards 2012.  

After 45 weeks of trading ended on Saturday, 8^th December, Chelmsford Star has recorded “like for like” turnover growth of £3,781,479 – 5.16%.

The Society’s core business, convenience food has recorded to date “like for like” growth of 3.82%.

The Society’s furniture business is up 4.26%, whilst Travel has recorded remarkable growth of 58.3%; funeral numbers are up 5.78%.

Commenting on the figures, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “I’m very pleased with our overall figures because if anything things have got more difficult as the year has progressed and to have excellent growth in four key divisions is particularly gratifying.  Our emphasis on value, good availability and service is continuing to pay off”.

Co-operative Energy has today announced it is to cut its electricity prices and is once again calling for the other suppliers to follow its lead and put customers before profits.

 

As British Gas raises its gas and electricity by 6% today, ethical energy provider, Co-operative Energy is leading the market by reducing its electricity charges by 2% from 21 December 2012. This will make Co-operative Energy, which was the only supplier to freeze prices this winter, £88 cheaper than the average Big 6 standard tariff for online direct debit and £178 cheaper for offline quarterly credit.

 

The move is driven by Co-operative Energy’s pledge to provide customers with consistently competitive prices and its promise to pass on savings in wholesale energy prices.

 

Co-operative Energy’s Nigel Mason said:

 

“Our customers’ interests come first. Unlike our competitors we are not driven by a need to make profits for external stakeholders and we pledge to offer a fair and transparent price for all our customers. Wholesale electricity costs have come down and we were keen to ensure this was reflected in customers’ bills as soon as possible.

 

“Trust is at the heart of the co-operative. At a time when the image of the energy market is being further tarnished with allegations of manipulation of wholesale gas prices, Big 6 price increases and reports from Ofgem that suppliers’ profit margins are increasing, we need to show that we’re doing all we can to put customers first, build trust and restore faith, which is why we’ve passed on savings and are distributing £105,000 to our customers this month as a half yearly share of profit.”

Over 60,000 households have switched to Co-operative Energy in its first eighteen months and this price decrease, which will take effect from 21 December 2012, will make its electricity prices for winter 2012/13 lower than for winter 2011/12.

Simon Sims of the Chelmsford Star Co-operative in Hutton, Essex was awarded the prestigious title of Community Hero for his exceptional commitment to the local area at the Sales Assistant of the Year Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London yesterday. He was also crowned best Sales Assistant in the Multiple & Co-operative sector and awarded £750 in prize money for reaching the finals.

The national competition, organised by Convenience Store magazine, celebrates the very best that the UK has to offer in terms of customer service, community interaction, and business achievement.

Simon is dedicated to helping his local community, organising raffles and making up prize hampers, and in doing so has raised £3,000 for the local school. He is also keen to promote the Co-op Society’s Community Card, which allows customers to donate points from their shopping to local community groups.

Convenience Store editor David Rees said: “Simon is a hero for his local community in every sense of the word.

The judges were hugely impressed by his total commitment to building a rapport with the store’s customers and to take every opportunity to offer the highest possible standard of customer service, while at the same time looking for areas to improve it even further.

His creativity and commitment also extends to fundraising for local schools, with tremendous results.”

Simon was delighted to have picked up the Community Hero award. “It’s unbelievable, I’m on top of the world,” he said. “This is a massive pat on the back and that’s all you want, to be appreciated for what you do. I hope I can go on to inspire people I work with and come in contact with. It was one thing winning my section, but it’s amazing to be named Community Hero too.”

To reach the finals, Simon had to submit a written entry, before a judging visit and face-to-face interview were carried out at his workplace. He was then interviewed by a judging panel on the morning of the awards before being given his prize at a glittering ceremony, hosted by TV personality Cheryl Baker.

Simon Sims, Store Supervisor at the Chelmsford Star Co-operative Food store in Hutton, Essex, has been announced ‘Best Sales Assistant’ in the Co-operative and multiple sectors and is through to the finals of the ‘Sales Assistant of the Year Awards 2012’.

The national competition, organised by Convenience Store magazine, celebrates the very best that the UK has to offer in terms of customer service, community interaction, and business achievement.

To reach the finals, Simon had to submit a written entry, before a judging visit and face-to-face interview were carried out at his workplace.

“Simon has wowed the judges with his tremendous commitment to customer service and thorough professionalism at work,” said Convenience Store editor David Rees.

“We look forward to welcoming him to our finals ceremony in London where the judges will have an extremely difficult job to decide which one of our five outstanding category winners will gain the prestigious title of Sales Assistant of the Year 2012.”

The awards take place on November 13th at the Dorchester Hotel in London where Simon will be awarded £500 in prize money for reaching the finals, and have the chance to win a further £500 if he is crowned the overall winner.

Simon commented;

I was told that many people entered this category, and to be told that I have been chosen as the best sales assistant in the UK in the Co-operatives and multiples sectors is just out of this world!”

Earlier in the year, Simon won the Society’s Best Food Store and Best Overall Society Employee categories of its own ‘Search for a Star Staff Awards’. Head of Food, Stuart Hammond said;

“To be fair I’m not surprised Simon has done so well, as he is one of those members of staff that all store Managers dream of. His commitment and enthusiasm to the job is second to none and he’s been an amazing support to every store he has worked in. He really does deserve this award and on behalf of the Society we are very proud of his achievements”.

On the morning of the awards, Simon and four other sector winners will be interviewed by a judging panel before one of them is awarded overall ‘Sales Assistant of the Year’ at a special ceremony, hosted by TV personality Cheryl Baker.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Funeral Services has just won the Excellent Customer Services category of the Mid-Essex Business Awards 2012, held at the prestigious Boreham House, near Chelmsford.     

The category, notorious for receiving the most entries, was the most obvious for the Funeral Services to enter, as it was one which they had won on numerous occasions in the past.

In this category, judges look for nominees to show areas where they go that extra mile.

Funeral Operations Manager, Craig Jackson said;

“It’s incredibly hard to keep moving the goal posts in improving customer service. However, I must give praise to our team of 16 who work so hard together to ensure that each and every one of our clients receives a tailor-made service to help them through a very difficult time. Winning this award is  a wonderful way of thanking my team for the high level of professionalism, commitment and passion that they give to the job.”

The judges may have also been impressed with free to all bereavement and aftercare support groups that the Funeral Services has provided the local community of Chelmsford for over 10 years.

A Special General Meeting of Members was held on 8^th October 2012, immediately following the Society’s Interim Meeting.

The meeting was exceptionally well attended and members gave overwhelming approval to a raft of rule changes designed to bring consistency in terminology and to implement reforms to strengthen the Society’s governance.

Society Secretary, Roger Myddelton stated, “The outcome is extremely gratifying and very rewarding.  This has been a lot of work for the Board and management, and we are grateful for the continuing support of our members in whose best interests the proposals were formulated”.

The Co-operative Food is giving its iconic 99 Tea a fabulous new “retro” look. 

Seeking inspiration from the packaging design of the original 99 Tea, which is over 100 years old, the UK’s favourite community retailer is combining an ultra chic vintage look with a floral motif to give this classic product a stylish re-design, which is due to appear on shelves from 10 October 2012. 

In its early days as the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS), The Co-operative invented supermarket own-labels at the turn of the 20th century, but of the early

Co-op brand names, only 99 Tea survives.

CWS began to blend its own teas in Leman Street, East London, in 1897. Many different teas were developed including Prescription Tea, with reputed medicinal qualities to aid digestion - no 99 was the number on the blender's chart. When the term prescription could no longer be used in the name, 99 was adopted instead.

Such was the popularity of tea at this time, many tried to capitalise by doing anything they could to make a bigger profit, such as selling at gross weight, including packaging.  True to the values of the Rochdale Pioneers, who first set up shop in 1844, The Co-operative only ever sold its tea by net weight, helping make tea affordable for all.  

 

Nowadays, The Co-operative’s 99 blend comes from tea grown in Malawi, Kenya and parts of India and East Africa. And, true to the retailer’s ethical standards, it’s all Fairtrade. In fact, The Co-operative was the first retailer to convert all of its hot beverages to Fairtrade back in 2008.

Currently, The Co-operative is going beyond Fairtrade to assist producers through its own unique programme of development projects, aimed at tackling global poverty.

 

In Kenya, The Co-operative has brought together over 11,000 smallholder tea growers into their own co-operative structure, assisted them in becoming certified as Fairtrade and provided a market for their tea - with 10% of the 99 Tea blend now being bought from the new co-operative. They collectively own and share the profits from the business and the Fairtrade premium they receive is invested back into the community and new crops, improving livelihoods.

 

The move to redesign the 99 tea and the development programme in Kenya are both timely initiatives, as the United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives.

 

In Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, The Co-operative is proud to have sourced the first available Malawian Fairtrade tea for its 99 blend. The Fairtrade accreditation is making a big difference to local communities, which can now enjoy clean water and access to medication.

 

Coinciding with the new “retro” look, 99 Tea has also been awarded a stamp of approval by consumer testers, the Good Housekeeping Institute, giving tea drinkers even more reasons to give this classic brew a whirl.

The Board of Directors of Chelmsford Star has announced three new appointments to the Society’s Senior Executive team.

Barry Wood, currently the Society’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer has been appointed Chief Executive Designate and will take up the position when the present Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon retires which will probably be in the early part of 2013.

Lisa Waghorn has been appointed Chief Financial Officer and will take up her new role in early 2013.  Lisa is presently a Senior Partner with Chartered Accountants, McIntyre Hudson.

Ellen Tredwin, presently the Society’s Secretarial Officer, has been appointed Secretary and will take up the role from the start of the Society’s new financial year.

Commenting upon the appointments, Society President, Pauline Dodd stated, “The Society’s Directors via its Succession Planning Committee have been working on these appointments for some time and we are absolutely delighted that Barry, Lisa and Ellen have been successful following what was a rigorous interview process.  The Society has enjoyed tremendous success in the past decade and the forthcoming retirements of our Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon and our Head of Finance & Secretary, Roger Myddelton posed a real challenge for us because their achievements speak for themselves”.

Whilst the Society cannot take anything for granted, it is looking forward to making further progress under Barry’s leadership.

Commenting on his appointment, Barry stated, “It is an honour and a privilege to be appointed Chief Executive Officer Designate and I am looking forward to the challenge.  I believe the Society has a first class management team and a supportive Board of Directors and that together we can take Chelmsford Star forward”.

Despite the ongoing challenges of the retail market place, latest casualty JJB Sport, the turnover at Chelmsford Star has continued to improve.

After 34 weeks of trading ending on 22^nd September 2012, gross takings are up 8.2% “year on year” and 6.0% on a “like for like” basis of comparison.

Commenting on the figures, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon states, “Recent weeks has seen a significant improvement in our Departmental Stores, whilst our Food, Travel and Funeral businesses continue to perform well ahead of market norms.  At this stage, we are optimistic that our full year financial goals will be achieved”.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative launched a Fairtrade initiative at the last Fairtrade Fortnight, which was to produce (probably) the UK’s first Fairtrade bed quilt, made from Fairtrade fabric.

The Society teamed up with the Keene Quilters (based in Stock) and bought the fabric on-line from The Fairtrade Fabric Company. The Keene Quilters headed by Chairman, Madeleine Howard, then set about the mammoth task of making it all happen.

Society Marketing & PR Manager said;

“Each year we aspire to do something different in our quest to raise the profile of Fairtrade and came up with the idea of a Fairtade quilt as we hadn’t heard of one being produced elsewhere. Madeleine and her team readily picked up the task and the rest is history.”

Over 20 ladies were given a selection of pieces of cloth to work with and a deadline to hand them in. Madeleine then sewed them together, introduced padding and a backing sheet before enlisting the help of a long arm to finish it off.

Madeline added

“We weren’t sure of the colours to start with as being Fairtrade they were a little more subdued to what we are used to, but once the long arm had applied the quilting stitches, it really came alive. I think everyone is very proud of what we have achieved”    

The beautiful finished quilt which cost over £300 to make would make a fabulous cover for a double bed and will be shown around the area at various functions. For the long term the Society and Keene Quilters are anxious that someone would get the benefit of all the hard work put into the project. They plan to raffle the quilt at the next Fairtrade Fortnight in early 2013 in aid of a local women’s refuge.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative has recently acquired the Jones of Chelmsford petrol station on Baddow Road, and opened it on Saturday 1^st September, under the Co-operative brand banner. 

The petrol station (including a substantial convenience food offer, Thrifty Car Hire and a car valeting service), was put up for sale at the beginning of the year by its present owners.

Stuart Hammond, Head of Food for Chelmsford Star commented;

“The business went up for sale via business estate agents Christies and following a market appraisal, we submitted an offer and were delighted to learn that our offer was successful.”

The Society plans to carry on with the car hire and valeting service as well as the supply of fuel from Texaco.

Mr Hammond continued;

“This was a very well run business and we have retained all of the staff. Apart from the rebranding of the shop itself, regular customers will see very little difference including the Texaco card.”

Due to the till system the Society inherited, Co-operative members will not be able to use their membership cards against purchases until early 2013. Meanwhile, the Society is planning to manually update cards at Customer Services, at their quadrant department store in Chelmsford.

Maurice Austin, a former President of Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society has been expelled from membership by a unanimous vote at a specially convened Board meeting, independently chaired, concluding a turbulent period in the Society’s recent history. 

Mr Austin was removed as Society President in November 2011 and resigned as a Director in December 2011; he stood for election at the April 2012 AGM but was unsuccessful. 

The Co-operative Group has today (11 September 2012) announced that, effective from 1 October 2012, it is to increase the price it pays on milk within The Co-operative Dairy Group (CDG) to a total price of 30p per litre. This follows a review of market conditions as we move into the autumn/winter period.

The Co-operative Group is proud of its partnership with the CDG and is committed to working with them to provide not only a sustainable milk price but also a package of benefits designed to help them improve profitability.

Steve Murrells, Chief Executive, The Co-operative Food, said;

“We are committed to supporting British farmers and to ensuring a long-term, sustainable future for British dairy farmers. 

We are in continuous dialogue with our farmers and keep our payments under constant review, and we are making this move in recognition of the increasing input costs as we approach the autumn period, in particular animal feed prices, and the poor silage crop as a result of the unprecedented wet summer weather."

Chelmsford Star’s interim financial results for 28 weeks ended 11^th August 2012 are a new all time record for the Society.

Gross takings grew ahead of inflation for the 15^th successive year to reach £48,881,988, an increase of £3,283,368 or 7.2%.

Gross takings on a “like for like” basis increased by £2,716,657 or 5.98%, a market leading performance.

Food, Furniture, Funerals and Travel have all had an excellent year and made a material contribution towards the Society’s financial success.

Net profit amounts to £978,760, an increase of 2.3%.

Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “The year to date has been very challenging for all retailers and we are no exception.  Consumer confidence is extremely low and for many people it is a real struggle to make ends meet.  Customers have, of necessity, had to seek value, I believe our interim results demonstrate that we have as a Co-operative, delivered value coupled with good service.  I would pay tribute to my Board, management team and colleagues in our shops.  We are a team from Boardroom to shop floor, this is what underpins our success and it will continue to be needed because the second half of our year will be no less challenging”.

Chelmsford Star has completed the acquisition of Jones of Chelmsford, a filling station, convenience store and property investment located in Baddow Road, Chelmsford.

Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon states “This is another important step in the Society’s continued development.  The operation is very well located and has the potential to contribute significantly to the Society’s future prosperity.  We are very pleased to be able to extend our offer to members and customers in the Chelmsford area”.

 

Chelmsford Star has agreed to sponsor the Unsung Hero category in the recently announced Pride of Essex Awards.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Barry Wood states, “As a Co-operative at the Heart of Essex and firmly committed to community values, we are pleased to be a sponsor in these awards which recognise outstanding achievement often in face of great difficulties”.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium just released show that the severe downturn in UK retail activity has continued throughout June and July.

In UK town centres, 11.4% of all shops are vacant and High Street footfall has declined 5.5% in the last quarter.

Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “This is probably the worst retail trading environment I can recall, it is very serious”.

Despite the doom and gloom, Chelmsford Star has, after 28 weeks of trading, recorded overall “like for like” growth of 5.92%.

The Society’s Food business has recorded market leading “like for like” growth of almost 5% and Travel is up almost 70%.  Departmental Stores and in particular, Furniture has also performed ahead of market norms.

Society President, Pauline Dodd stated, “The figures are a real tribute to our wonderful management team and colleagues instore, as a Board of Directors we are highly satisfied with the progress of our business, especially in face of such an awful economic situation”.

Sales of own label i.e. Co-operative brand food products continue to soar.

After 28 weeks of trading, sales have grown a remarkable 10.7% on a “like for like” basis.

Head of Food operations, Stuart Hammond comments, “Co-operative brand products are top quality and represent great value for money.  This has clearly been recognised by our members and customers”.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative has recently assisted local credit union Holdfast in rebranding their sales literature to give it greater appeal. This is just one of many initiatives the Society is supporting during the International Year of Co-operatives 2012.

Holdfast operates like a co-operative as it’s owned and controlled by its members with no outside shareholders to satisfy. Members save regularly each month which forms a pool of money that is then lent to members as low cost flexible loans.

Pauline Dodd, President at Chelmsford Star said;

“The Society supports the concept of credit unions as they are a safe and fair way for people to save and also take out loans. Today, many people due to their economic circumstances are entering into loan agreements with extremely high rates of interest. Holdfast promotes itself as a far more beneficial alternative and the new sales literature that we have provided them with, will hopefully assist.”

For those who save regularly with Holdfast, sizeable loans are available up to 3 times savings with a payback of up to 60 months. This could be great help to those who have been refused loans from banks and building societies. Loan sizes are determined by the amount of savings made and it’s now possible to save into a credit union via payroll deduction.

Holdfast are contactable at their office in Witham on 01376 516994 or can be found the first Wednesday each month (10.30am-12.30pm) at the quadrant Chelmsford or every Wednesday (10am-2pm) at quadrant, George Yard, Braintree. 

Email: holdfastcreditunion@yahoo.co.uk

website: www.holdfastcreditunion.co.uk

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society is putting the co-operative values of self-help, solidarity and co-operation among co-operatives into action by empowering a community in Lesotho, southern Africa, through co-operation.

 A new three-year project, financed by the Society and managed by the UK's Co-operative College, will establish and develop an agricultural co-operative in Masemouse, Lesotho, to help alleviate poverty and achieve sustainability in the community. At the same time as generating income and contributing to food security to create a lasting legacy in Lesotho, it is hoped that the project will enrich and inspire Chelmsford Star's members in the UK.

 Chelmsford Star is also working with UK-based organisation Connecting Communities Worldwide on the project, which started as a way of celebrating the UN's International Year of Co-operatives. Plans for Masmouse include growing fruit and trees, producing honey and constructing two fish ponds to produce edible fish and marketable fingerlings.

The recently-established Thabelang-Sechaba Co-operative, which currently has 78 members and an elected board, will carry out the work in Lesotho. Members include a talented forester with experience in fruit growing, an accomplished administrator and a community activist. The Lesotho Department of Co-operatives will provide training for the members of the new co-operative in co-operative working, management and production.

Chelmsford Star's President, Pauline Dodd said:

"Chelmsford Star is both honoured and privileged to work in partnership with the Co-operative College and Connecting Communities Worldwide in Lesotho. We wanted a lasting legacy to 2012, the International Year of Co-operatives and believe that an international project (our first) was entirely appropriate.”

“It is our hope that the project demonstrates the power of co-operation in bringing transformational change to the community, and that it creates employment and empowerment in the community."

Ken Dunn, Executive Director of Connecting Communities Worldwide, said:

"The Chelmsford-Lesotho co-operative partnership is a fantastic opportunity to unite peoples 6,000 miles apart but tied by a common ethos.

“A sustainable agricultural co-operative will transform the lives of community members living in Masemouse, Lesotho, a beautiful but challenged mountain kingdom which is surrounded by The Republic of South Africa.”

Linda Shaw, Vice Principal – Research & International at the Co-operative College, added:

“This project is building on the Co-operative College's long-standing links with Lesotho, which include organising the annual youth and co-operatives forum. Lesotho is one of the smallest countries in the world and we are delighted that another co-operative society is contributing to a co-operative development project which will help improve the co-operative infrastructure in one of Africa's poorest countries.”

The Co-operative Group has announced today that, with immediate effect, it is to increase the premium* it pays on milk to farmers within the Co-operative Dairy Group (CDG) to bring the total price they receive to 29.0 pence per litre.

Steve Murrells, Chief Executive, The Co-operative Food, said:

“We have a track record of supporting British farmers, and we recognise the importance of ensuring a long-term, sustainable future for British dairy farmers.

“We have been in continual discussions on this issue with the National Farmers Union and we have listened to their concerns. We are taking this action to help alleviate the immediate pressures that farmers within the CDG are facing. Going forward, we are committed to finding a supply model that is sustainable for the long-term future of our dairy farmers.”

Peter Kendall, President of the National Farmers Union, commented:

“We are encouraged by the positive step taken by The Co-operative today in ensuring that its farmers will be paid a fair price for their milk.  Their recognition of the real difficulties being faced by British farmers this summer and commitment to support them through these difficult times is to be applauded.  But whilst this is an important move, all retailers must move to a sustainable funding model for the dairy industry.”

*The premium CDG farmers receive will rise to 2.57ppl with immediate effect and to 4.27ppl from 1 August, following processor reductions.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society buys its milk from The Co-operative Group, Food Manager Stuart Hammond said;

“I am delighted to hear about this positive move that typifies one of the Co-operative values of being fair in how we carry out business.”

 Co-operative Energy is on an awards roll after it was announced that the ethical energy supplier is a finalist in the coveted UK Customer Experience Awards 2012.

The announcement comes just two weeks after Co-operative Energy was named as a finalist in the European Call Centre and Customer Service Awards.

Following a stringent judging process, which assessed how the customer experience is incorporated into the business and how it has positively impacted results, Co-operative Energy has been shortlisted in the Facilities Management and Utilities category alongside Big Six energy provider, EDF Energy. In the next stage of the assessment, Co-operative Energy will have to give a presentation to the judges before the winner is announced at an awards ceremony, which will be held at The Grand Connaught Room, London on Friday 21^st September.

Mandy Holford, Head of Operations at Co-operative Energy said: “To make the finals of one award is brilliant but to be in the running for two is absolutely fantastic. Everybody at Co-operative Energy is firmly focused on putting customers first and ensuring that they receive the very best service so it’s great to be recognised for all our hard work.

“Fingers crossed we can go all the way and triumph in winning both awards, as it would be further recognition that the co-operative model is the best way to do business for all.”

2012 is the International Year of the Co-operatives, which is focused on highlighting the strengths of the co-operative business model as an alternative means of doing business and furthering socio-economic development.

Despite the continuing doom and gloom emanating from the retail sector of the UK economy, the turnover of Chelmsford Star has continued to surge ahead of most competitors.

 Turnover, on a “like for like” basis of comparison has, after 24 weeks of trading ended 14^th July 2012, amounted to £41,147,102, an increase of £2,193,921 or 5.63%.

 Commenting on the figures, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated; “To have grown by 5.63% on a “like for like” basis is very gratifying and testament to the resilience of our business model and the excellent service given by our staff”.

Chelmsford Star in collaboration with the Government in Lesotho, Co-operative College and Connecting Communities Worldwide has launched an exciting project to bring the benefits of co-operation to an impoverished community in Lesotho.

The project will see the formation of a Co-operative to grow fruit and vegetables, fish farming and eventually, bee keeping.  Completion of ground preparation for the planting pots will be done by the community and is scheduled for completion by December.  The planting of fruit and vegetables will take place in March 2013.

Commenting on the project, Society President, Pauline Dodd stated; “The Society’s Directors have approved this very exciting project because they wanted a lasting legacy coming from 2012, the UN International Year of Co-operatives.  We are also privileged to be able to work in partnership with the people in Lesotho, we feel very privileged to be able to be part of what we hope will bring long lasting benefits to a community in real need”.

About Lesotho

 Lesotho is a landlocked country, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa, covering 11,583 square miles.  The country has a population of 2,067,000, which is distributed 25% urban and 75% rural.

Lesotho’s economy is based on agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and mining.  About 40% of the population live below the international poverty line ($1.25 a day).  However, Lesotho invests in education, and can boast one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, 82%.

Lesotho is severely affected by HIV/AIDS, affecting the life expectancy from birth, just 48.2 years.

Because of its altitude, Lesotho remains cooler throughout the year.  Most rainfall falls as summer thunderstorms.  Temperatures vary depending on the altitude, however in lowlands temperatures reach 30°C in summer, whilst -7°C (-18°C in highlands).  Snowfall is common in highlands between May and September.

 

Society Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon celebrates 50 years of Co-operative service in August.

Tony, a native of Kendal in the Lake District started his Co-operative career as a Management Trainee with the Kendal Society.

After leaving Kendal, Tony spent a year in the Research department of the Co-operative Union before joining the Morley Society as Chief Clerk.

The majority of his service, some 28 years, was spent with CRS, where he rose to the position of Financial Controller.

Tony has been Chief Executive Officer for Chelmsford Star since 1998 and has overseen a total transformation of the Society’s fortunes.

Commenting on his Co-operative service, Tony stated; “It’s been a real privilege to work in the Movement and it’s brought me tremendous job satisfaction.  I know it’s a cliché, but it really does seem only like yesterday when I started in Kendal”.

International Co-operatives Day on 7 July is a day of global co-operative action. Around the world people will be celebrating how co-operatives are building a better world, making a difference to people’s lives everywhere.

A global movement of 1.4 million businesses and around 1 billion people are already celebrating the International Year of Co-operatives. 7 July will be a high point, a day of shared action in this unique year.

Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive Officer at Chelmsford Star Co-operative said,

We are in the middle of the ‘International Year of Co-operatives’, a year when co-operatives across the world will be lifting the lid on how they build a better world. 7 July is International Co-operatives Day, when co-operatives in this country will unite with those from China to Chile in celebrating their contribution to a more ethical economy.”

Co-operatives Fortnight is the co-operative sector’s national campaign, bringing together co-operatives up and down the country to highlight how co-operatives share their profits, give people an equal say and help build a better world.

Co-operatives Fortnight 2012 is a peak of activity in the ‘International Year of Co-operatives’. It runs from 23 June to 7 July and acts as a focal point for many co-operatives across the UK including Chelmsford Star to instigate a number of initiatives.

Chelmsford Star is co hosting a week long event in the foyer of the Chelmsford library with the aim to provide information and advice on setting up a co-operative.  Running from 25 – 29 June, the event is supported by Co-operatives East, The Co-operative Gateway East of England, The Co-operative enterprise hub, CAN and the Co-operative Group.

Project Co-ordinator of the event, Member Relations Officer, Keith Grinsted said;

“The Co-operative model is a great business structure. It enables members to share resources, ideas and expertise as well as maintain democratic control over the enterprise. There is no doubt, too, that co-operatives are at the forefront of innovation, breaking new ground in the provision of everything from ethical goods, local foods and green energy to public services. This is an ideal year to start encouraging the growth of more co-operative businesses”

The Society is also during the fortnight supporting the 3ft festival in Springfield, Chelmsford  (a two day event for children under 5) and assisting in the re-launch of a local credit union called Holdfast.

Ethical energy provider Co-operative Energy has scooped the Positive Change Award at the Which? Awards 2012.

The energy supplier, which celebrated its first anniversary with a doubling in customer numbers, picked up the award following its triumph in the Which? Big Switch, the UK’s first collective buying scheme.

The award recognised Co-operative Energy’s significant efforts to give customers a better deal and was presented to Nigel Mason, Business Development Manager at Co-operative Energy.

On receiving the award, Nigel commented: “We’re delighted and honoured to be collecting this award from the consumers’ champion, Which? and even more delighted as it is the second year we have received an accolade for our ‘fair deal’ approach to our customers.

“We launched Co-operative Energy with a clear vision, to give customers a fair and honest deal and we’re prepared to buck the industry trend and try new approaches to reach that goal. That includes taking part in and winning the Which? Big Switch auction. It’s a great example of a true co-operative at work with people joining forces to increase their buying power and turn the tables on an industry that has been dominated by complacency and poor customer treatment.”

Which? Chief Executive Peter Vicary-Smith said:

“The Positive Change Award was introduced last year to recognise a company that has made significant changes that have resulted in a better deal for its customers.

“This year the award goes to Co-operative Energy. It has a policy of simple pricing and providing clear information and advice. And it has acted on feedback given by Which? to make this even better in recent months.

“In October last year we challenged energy firms to agree to installing smart meters without selling extra products and services. Co-operative Energy was one of the first companies to sign up. And finally, it was a key part of the success of The Big Switch initiative, introducing a new market-leading tariff to win the auction, showing that even though it’s a smaller supplier, its prices are extremely competitive."

2012 is the International Year of the Co-operatives, which is focused on highlighting the strengths of the co-operative business model as an alternative means of doing business and furthering socio-economic development. The Which? Positive Change Award recognises the great work Co-operative Energy has made in the energy market and reinforces the need for the alternative business model.

The awards were held at Kings Place, London on Wednesday 20th June.

A new app (launched on 19^th June) will help consumers wanting to support co-operative and ethical businesses, by allowing them to search for local providers offering a wide range of products and services.

 

The app, called Co-operate, will also allow users to unlock discount vouchers for use in over 11,000 independently owned co-operative outlets included in the app which cover every postcode in the UK, including food stores, pubs, restaurants, energy providers and travel companies.

 

The app has been created by Co-operatives UK, the trade organisation for the co-operative sector (including Chelmsford Star) that campaigns to encourage greater co-operation, and is intended to tap into a growing desire from consumers to support socially responsible businesses.

 

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, said:

 

 “With the ongoing economic troubles there is an increasing appetite amongst consumers to support a grassroots, ethical economy. One billion people around the world are members of co-operatives. Co-operate will make it easier for even more people to find and support these businesses. At the same time we’re hoping to provide a tangible demonstration of the power of co-operation both to reward consumers and to support the continued success of co-operative organisations.”

 

The launch of the app is just one of the initiatives to support ‘International Year of Co-operatives’, helping to highlight the size and diversity of the co-operative sector.  It also marks the start of the build up to Co-operatives Fortnight (23 June to 7 July) where co-operatives across the UK will be working together to raise awareness of the difference co-operatives make to benefit their members and communities.

 

Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive Officer at Chelmsford Star commented;

 

“As a result of shopping with Co-operative organisations such as Chelmsford Star, people can make a positive choice to strengthen the economy of their local community and support a fairer and more socially responsible business model. By downloading Co-operate, even more people can be part of the good news. It is a tool for a better world.”

 

Co-operate will launch simultaneously across the UK and US (in partnership with the National Co-operative Business Association in the US) on Android and iPhone, with an iPad version to follow shortly after.

Following on from the Society’s Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors of Chelmsford Star has appointed Pauline Dodd and Roger Simons to serve as President and Vice President respectively, for the ensuing year. 

Pauline joined the Board in 2008 and was successfully re-elected in 2011.  She is the first female to be appointed President since 1966.

Commenting upon her appointment, Pauline stated, “I am privileged and honoured to be asked by my fellow Directors to serve as President, I believe we have a united Board and an excellent senior management team, and that together we can ensure that Chelmsford Star continues to prosper”.

Roger Simons was first elected to the Board in 2007 and was successfully re-elected in 2012.  Roger stated, “Chelmsford Star’s financial performance over the past few years has been very creditable and my focus besides assisting Pauline will be to utilise my business and commercial experience with the objective of helping the Society to overcome the serious economic challenges all businesses are presently facing”.

Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “I am looking forward to working with our new and re-invigorated Board under Pauline’s leadership, we have a lot of very exciting initiatives in the pipeline and I’m very optimistic about the Society’s future prospects”.

Mid-Essex based Co-operative Society; Chelmsford Star has just opened a Co-operative Bed Centre on Saturday 9^th June in the Knightswich Shopping Centre, Canvey Island.

The new store has opened in the former video rental outlet and will be stocking a range of branded beds as well as ancillary items such as bedroom furniture, rugs and bedding.

Brands will be important and the store will be in support of many manufactured in the UK.

Furniture buyer Phil Abrey commented;

“Chelmsford Star already has two convenience food stores on the island; therefore it’s a natural step to now bring our non food offer here too. Members of the Society will of course also be able to use their Co-operative membership card to earn points on all their purchase”

The store opened with an East end theme by Pearly Queen of London, Vanessa Vallely and her family assisted by County Councillor Ray Howard who originally laid the foundation stone for the Knightswick Centre in 1977 as civic head.

Vanessa supports many charities including Little Havens Hospice, to which the Society made a donation of £500 on her behalf.

There was a great response from local shoppers who browsed the store to the sounds of traditional east end music and a number enjoyed sampling jellied eels! The first bed was sold to Mr Hadnoam from Canvey who received a bottle of champagne.

The Society currently has two department stores trading under the quadrant brand in Chelmsford and Braintree city and town centres, both offering furniture and beds. This is the Society’s first venture with a standalone unit with bed offer only.

The employees of local co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star have voted Canine Partners as their Charity of the Year 2012/13.

The charity is an Essex satellite of a national charity that trains dogs to transform the lives of people with disabilities. Canine Partners is also working in partnership with ‘Help for Heroes’ to train dogs for injured service personnel.

The Society hopes to raise considerable funds over the coming year via events in its numerous stores across the Essex region. These include Co-operative food and the ‘quadrant’ department stores. 

Society Marketing & PR Manager Vanessa Howard commented;

“We are delighted to work with Canine Partners and hope that we can not only raise a useful fund for them but also help them raise their profile so that more people are aware of the wonderful work they do.”

The Society has run a Charity of the Year for the past 5 years and to date has raised just over £140 000 for local charities.

Co-operative Energy is to open the door to a further 10,000 new customers as part of The Big Switch following the success of the UK’s first collective switching scheme.

 Ethical energy supplier Co-operative Energy emerged triumphant in The Big Switch, winning the ground-breaking energy auction in all three tariff categories - online direct debit, offline direct debit and the cash and cheque category.

 The number of people who could join Co-operative Energy through the auction was originally capped at 30,000. That was 20,000 new fixed rate direct debit customers and 10,000 new variable rate cash/cheque customers. Following the success of the auction and the number of energy customers wanting to switch to Co-operative Energy, the supplier and Which? have today announced that they are to allow a further 10,000 people to join on the new fixed rate tariff. Which? has extended the deadline for switching to Thursday 31^st May 2012 to allow people time to switch.

 Co-operative Energy’s Nigel Mason explained: “We have been delighted with the numbers of people who have signed up to our auction winning tariffs. We are now allowing a further 10,000 people to join us on the fixed rate tariff and they will be able to switch until the end of May.

 “The original cap was to make sure we could cope with the number of new customers. We are a smaller supplier and we pride ourselves on our customer service. We are pleased that the transfer of the new customers is going very smoothly, allowing us to open the door to 10,000 more customers.”

 More than 280,000 people registered for The Big Switch, the UK’s first collective switching initiative, designed to unite the buying power of customers and help drive down energy bills.  The reverse auction invited energy suppliers to bid for customers who had registered with The Big Switch. A total of five suppliers took part in the auction.

On the 16th of May local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star has just won an award for ‘Best Convenience Retailer for Store Staff’ as voted by shoppers’ in the CTP (Customer Tracking Programme) Awards which were held at the Tate Modern in London.

Claire McLaughlin, Marketing Manager for ‘him! research & consulting’ who run the programme and produce the awards said;

 “This award is based on high levels of shopper satisfaction with the service they receive from staff in their convenience store, considering both speed or service and staff friendliness. Shoppers at Chelmsford Star also thought their store’s staff had a better knowledge and were friendlier than staff at the main supermarkets.”

The CTP Awards are based on a range of shopper insights including brand strength shopper satisfaction ratings, such as the likelihood that they would recommend the store to family and friends and shopping habits such as visit frequency, the level of impulse purchasing the retailer generates and shoppers’ use of the retailer increasing over the past 12-months.

Stuart Hammond Head of Food commented:

“These awards are extremely important to the Society as they are voted for by 22,000 shoppers and it’s a huge accolade to our staff that they have been recognised in national awards for the tremendous service that they give.  We are extremely grateful for this accolade as we continuously strive to provide staff with the best training to enable them to give our customers and members the very best of service.  

During the year, him! research & consulting benchmark many aspects of retailing to allow clients like Chelmsford Star to compare their shopper feedback and then take whatever action as deemed necessary to improve business.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society has just finished fundraising for their 2011-2012 ‘Charity of the Year’, Families InFocus (Essex). They are proud to report a magnificent £34,877 was raised by their employees and customers just beating the previous year’s total by pounds!

Marketing & PR Manager Vanessa Howard commented;

“This was a fantastic figure to achieve especially in such a difficult economic climate. Last year’s fund raising total was a record amount and a hard one to beat, however all stops were pulled out and its testimony to everyone’s hard work and ingenuity in fund raising ideas that we just got there.”

During the year, Chelmsford Star held a number of events to raise money for the charity, including fashion shows, football tournaments, raffles and shopping evenings, as well as hosting specialist talks on subjects as diverse as vintage nightwear and the sinking of the Titanic.

Rachel Ellis, Director of Families InFocus (Essex) said,

‘Chelmsford Star’s continued support and involvement across the year has helped us to make a real difference to not only the lives of the families we support, but it has also raised our profile and many more people are now aware of who we are and what we do. We would like to thank everyone who has played their part from employees, suppliers and customers in making this amazing figure possible’  

The Society has been running a ‘Charity of the Year’ scheme since 2008, and to date five local charities have benefited by just over £140,000 between them.

Each year employees select their preferred charity via a ballot and consequently set about raising as much as they can over the year. The new ‘Charity of the Year’ for 2012/13 is Canine Partners.

The former President of Chelmsford Star who resigned as a Director in December last year, prior to a resolution to dismiss him from office has been unsuccessful in his attempt to return to elective office.

 Maurice Austin stood for election to the Society’s Board of Directors, the Membership Committee and the Members’ Council; in each case he was the lowest polling candidate.

 The Society’s election results are as follows:

 Board of Directors

 Successful

          Mrs Pauline Green

          Mrs Janice Martin

          Mr Michael Whalley

          Mr Roger Simons

 Unsuccessful

          Mr Chris Henton

          Mr Maurice Austin

 Mrs Martin and Mr Simons are former Directors of the Society, Mrs Green and Mr Whalley are sitting Directors who were re-elected.

 Membership Committee

 Successful

          Mr C Henton

 Unsuccessful

          Mrs J Adams

          Mrs F Mockett

          Mrs P Green

          Mr M Austin

 Mr Henton was Chair of the Society’s Members’ Council.

 

Members’ Council

 Successful

          Mrs S Sullivan

          Mrs J Milbank

          Mr L Hughes

          Mr M Wallace

          Ms L Bowser

          Mr J Knott

 Unsuccessful

          Mrs J Bliss

          Mrs F Mockett

          Mrs P Green

          Mr G Martin

          Mr M Austin

 Commenting on the election and the Society’s AGM, President Lance Gardner stated, “The very serious and damaging allegations made by two former Directors most certainly galvanised our members to express their views by voting in our election and by attending our AGM”.

 A recent comment in the Co-operative News from former Director, Mr C Fegan, that Chelmsford Star was not worthy to be called a Co-operative was not well received and subject to a question from former long serving President, Terry Haggerty.

 Numbers voting in the Society’s elections increased by 53% when compared to last year.

 Commenting on the outcome of the elections, President Lance Gardner further stated, “I am delighted that our two serving Directors were re-elected because their experience is invaluable.  I am also delighted to welcome Jan Martin (a former Vice President) and Roger Simons back onto the Board.  We have an excellent team which in conjunction with our first class Senior Executive will work harmoniously to take Chelmsford Star forward”.

 

As the ICA statement on co-operative identity states “Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership, our members have been unequivocal in supporting the Board and standing ‘four square’ behind the values of co-operation”.

 The Society is particularly pleased that Leo Hughes, a member of the Society’s Youth Council was elected to the Society’s Members’ Council.

 The Society’s election process was managed for the first time by Electoral Reform Services and was warmly approved by members attending the AGM.

 Prior to the start of the AGM, the President, on behalf of the Board, made the following statement in respect of Mr C Fegan.

 “At a meeting of the Society’s Board of Directors held this morning, Mr C Fegan was, by a unanimous vote, expelled from membership of Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society.

This decision was only taken after your Directors gave the most careful consideration to a significant number of complaints against Mr Fegan by another member, all of which were upheld.

Mr Fegan’s rights under the Society’s Rules were fully respected and he did attend today’s meeting.

At all stages of the process, the Directors were advised by our lawyers, Anthony Collins LLP and Co-operatives^UK.”

The statement was received by members without any comment being made from the floor.

The Society’s Directors’ Report and Financial Statements were approved unanimously and without dissent.

The Society is now looking forward to concentrating on the challenges that it, along with all other retailers, will face in 2012.

After 11 weeks of trading, gross takings on a “like for like” basis have grown by a remarkable 7.40% which equates to a weekly average growth of £117,259 a week.

 In contrast to many other retailers, the Society enjoyed a successful Easter.

 Commenting on the figures, Tony Gudgeon, Chief Executive Officer stated, “Last year was a record year for us, so to have grown by 7.40% is quite remarkable, but what really pleases me is that all our businesses are contributing to our growth, I pay tribute to our employees because it’s their service which makes the difference”.

Just 48 hours after launching its venture with Bike Aid Africa, over 100 bicycles have already been donated.

Michael Whalley, Chair of the Society’s Membership Committee commented, “This is a really encouraging start, the bicycles will make a real difference to people in Africa, for many just getting water can take a whole day, these bicycles really are life transforming”.

Anyone with a bicycle, please phone 01245 216914.

UK’s newest energy supplier first to publicly declare participation in energy auction

 

Co-operative Energy has become the first energy supplier to publicly declare its participation in the Big Switch, a collective switching campaign organised by the consumer body Which? and the campaigning body 38 Degrees.

Which? is asking energy suppliers to bid in an auction to secure the opportunity to supply consumers with electricity and gas at a market leading price. Following a number of revisions to the terms of the Big Switch based on constructive feedback from Co-operative Energy , the ethical energy supplier has confirmed its involvement in the auction and is also urging other energy suppliers to put customers first.

Nigel Mason of Co-operative Energy said: “Following ongoing negotiations with Which? we are delighted to see that they have listened to our advice and decided to allow suppliers to bid an existing tariff. This has prompted us to declare our interest in the campaign and formally take part in the auction. We believe that this is now a much fairer process and more in tune with the way we deal with customers. We intend to use the Big Switch to publicise the co-operative model of collective buying and demonstrate its effectiveness.”

“In declaring our involvement we are also challenging other energy suppliers to follow our lead.  All energy suppliers should treat their existing customers fairly and not offer new customers a better deal than their loyal customers.  Our participation in the Big Switch is a clear demonstration of this and will ensure that all customers are getting the same deal and no preferential treatment. We are writing to all of our customers to inform them of our intention to take part in the Big Switch.”

Co-operative Energy launched in May 2011 with the intention of delivering the benefits of collective buying to customers, such as consistently lower energy prices and a greater emphasis on renewable energy.

“Like for like” sales in week 9, week ending 31^st March 2012 grew by a massive 9.37% taking the accumulative rate of “like for like” growth of 7.66%.

 

Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated “we were helped by good weather in the week but the really pleasing aspect is that we are seeing real growth across all our business with Food, Travel and Funerals being particularly good”.

Chelmsford Star is set to open a new shop in Knightswick Parade, Canvey Island.  The shop will sell beds, bedroom furniture, linens and some housewares and is set to open around the end of May.

 

Commenting on this initiative, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “We believe Canvey Island is an excellent location and we are very hopeful that this new venture will be well received”.

Chelmsford Star has agreed to support Essex based charity Bike Aid Africa.  The charity takes in bicycles in whatever condition, refurbishes them and ships them to Africa.  Over the past ten years or so, an amazing 40,000 bicycles have been sent out.

 

Commenting on this latest initiative, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “2012 is the UN International Year of Co-operatives and our Directors wanted us to have an international dimension to our work.  Giving someone a bicycle in Africa can be life transforming especially for example if they need to travel ten miles a day to get water”.

 

Anyone with a bicycle should contact Chelmsford 01245 216914.

Trading in the first seven weeks of the 2012/13 financial year has been buoyant for Chelmsford Star.

Gross takings on a “like for like” basis have, in the seven weeks up to 17^th March 2012, grown by £848,044 or 7.67%.

The Society’s Food business has continued its remarkable progress of recent years by again recording industry leading levels of “like for like” growth; as at 17^th March Food is up 7.24%.

The Society’s Travel business is up “like for like” 52% and Funerals up 10.2%, again “like for like”.  The Society’s Departmental Store business has a small decrease of 0.56% but is showing signs of improvement.

Commenting on the figures, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “Every year is a fresh challenge and I’ve no doubt that 2012 is going to be tough.  To have got off to such a good start is very encouraging and a tribute to our management and colleagues in stores, but of course it’s early days and we will need to stay totally focused”.

Children from Scargil Junior School, in Mungo Park Road, Rainham, leapt to the assistance of Essex-based Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star, recently. The Society, which owns nearly forty food-stores, plus travel agents, funeral homes and department stores across Essex,  was launching its first shop in this area during Fairtrade Fortnight, and they needed some locals to help them!

Ten children from the school, plus teacher Mrs Gregory, came to help with the ribbon cutting, and learnt a little about Fairtrade at the same time.

The store, which previously had been a Nisa, has received an update both inside and out, and is proving very popular with the locals – especially when goodie bags were handed out to its first fifty customers to highlight Fairtrade Fortnight.

Store manager Kevin Banham said;

“We are already receiving a lot of positive comments. People like having a large range to choose from when shopping local - it saves on petrol!”

The store was launched on 9^th March at 10am.

Interest in becoming involved in the governance of Chelmsford Star has increased following its recent “Meet the Directors” evening.

 A total of 22 candidates have submitted nominations for eleven vacancies.

 Six candidates are chasing four vacancies on the Board of Directors where two sitting Directors, Michael Whalley and Pauline Green are seeking re-election.  One vacancy on the Membership Committee will be contested by five candidates and eleven candidates will be contesting six vacancies on the Society’s Members’ Council.  Amongst the candidates for the Council is Leo Hughes, a member of the recently formed Youth Council.

 Former Society President, Maurice Austin, who resigned in December is seeking election to the Board, Membership Committee and the Council.

 Society Secretary, Roger Myddelton stated, “It is very rewarding to see that all the hard work of our membership function is paying off, we wish the best of luck to each candidate”.

Essex based Chelmsford Star has announced all time record results for its financial year ending 28^th January 2012, despite the dire state of the economy.

Gross takings grew ahead of the rate of inflation for the 14^th successive year to reach £85,749,244, an increase of £7,009,786 or 8.9%.  Gross takings on a “like for like” basis grew 4.4% aided by a remarkable performance in Food which increased by 6.7%.

Trading profit at £2,121,603 has increased by £54,127 or 2.6%, and a sum of £903,643 was added to reserves.

Commenting on the results, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, “We are pleased to have shown resilience and delivered such a good result in what has been an awful year for retailers.  All our businesses have played their part, but I consider our Food performance to have been absolutely outstanding for the third year running”.

Following the demise of the Co-operative Travel Trading Group as a result of the creation of the joint venture with Thomas Cook, Midcounties Co-op Travel has had no alternative but to create its own standalone commercial travel business and do its own marketing.

In the spirit of Principle 6, Midcounties has agreed to make this service available to the Channel Islands Co-operative and Chelmsford Star Co-operative who have equally been affected by the CTTG joint venture decision.

The partnerships will help them to optimise their continued development as prominent independent agents.

Channel Islands Co-operative Travelmaker is the leading Independent travel agent in the Channel Islands with two branches in Jersey and one branch in Guernsey. Chelmsford Star Co-operative Travel has two branches in Chelmsford and Braintree.

Midcounties’ Alistair Rowland, Group General Manager of Travel Services, said:

“We are delighted to be able to work with Channel Islands Co-operative and Chelmsford Star to ensure that they remain leading independent agents, and will support them in a number of key areas including commercial, marketing, e-commerce and business development.”

Carl Winn, General Travel Manager for CI Travel said:

“We are extremely pleased to remain part of what is in essence a Co-operative consortium. We share Midcounties’ vision and ideas and it seemed the obvious choice since the closure of CTTG was announced last year. We are really excited about the future and opportunities the new venture will bring.”

Barry Wood, Deputy Chief Executive, of Chelmsford Star said:

 “Chelmsford Star is extremely pleased to be joining with Midcounties and Channel Islands Co-operative in the spirit of true co-operation to ensure that our members continue to enjoy the benefits of an independent co-operative travel business. The directors and management are looking forward to exciting times ahead for our travel business working in partnership with Midcounties Co-operative.”

The partnerships will commence from 1st April 2012.

An ex Royal Navy submariner and Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents will reveal his unique angle on the loss of the SS Titanic at a talk on 18 April. This will mark the centenary anniversary of the sinking of probably the most famous ship in history, to raise funds for Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society’s charity of the year, Families InFocus (Essex).

Rear Admiral John Lang spent 36 years serving in both the Merchant and Royal Navies before becoming head of the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch.   Fascinated by the Titanic story, John felt stimulated to write his own view on of the tragedy from a unique accident investigator’s perspective, to be published at the end of July 2012.

The book compares the original accident report from 100 years ago with Johns modern day version based on the same facts. The original report stated that the Titanic sank due to a collision with an iceberg brought about by excessive speed; however Johns investigation led him to conclude that a different chain of events extending back over several years caused the accident.

During the talk he identifies the single action that triggered the disaster, the three crucial causes and the many underlying reasons that contributed to the best known marine accident in history. Although there may well be no surprises the conclusions he draws have never been presented in this way before.

This illustrated talk to be held at the quadrant department store in Chelmsford, is not only entertaining but is an absolute must for any Titanic fan.

Doors open 6.45pm for a 7.15pm and tickets cost £7.50 (including a glass of wine) and are available from the quadrants customer services or can be reserved on events@chelmsfordstar.coop.

In a move to mark this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, The Co-operative has switched all its bananas to 100% Fairtrade. Bananas are the most popular fruit in the UK, and The Co-operative sells a staggering 230 million bananas a year - enough to circle the globe.

 

The Co-operative, which was the first to launch Fairtrade bananas into the UK, now sees all its bananas supplied by fellow co-operatives, 23 of which are made up of thousands of smallholders from countries including Peru, Colombia and Ecuador.  The move demonstrates the retailer’s unrivalled commitment to small-scale growers.

 

As part of its groundbreaking Ethical Plan, The Co-operative has pledged that if products can be labelled as Fairtrade, they will be, and by the end of 2013, the retailer hopes to be 90% towards this target.

 

Chief Executive Officer of Local Essex Co-operative Chelmsford Star said;

 

 "Despite the economic downturn, Fairtrade sales in the UK continue to grow, and support for Fairtrade from our own customers and members is as strong as ever.  The switch to 100% Fairtrade bananas in more than 4,000 Co-operative stores in the UK including Chelmsford Star is a demonstration of this commitment to Fairtrade, co-operatives and small-scale farmers.

"However, having been instrumental in bringing Fairtrade into the mainstream, we recognise the unique role we can play as a co-operative in going beyond Fairtrade and increasing support for our producers to tackle global poverty.

 “Over a million farmers are now involved in Fairtrade, largely via co-operatives.  The encouragement of smallholder farmers – many of whom are women – offers the best route to sustainably feed the two billion extra people who will live on Earth by 2050.”

“In the run-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012, we call on the UK Government to champion the importance of increasing global food production in a sustainable and equitable way, and the crucial role that smallholder farmers and co-operatives can play. We ask that the UK promotes increased investment in sustainable smallholder agriculture in order to guarantee livelihoods for the poorest farmers, especially women.”

 

The Fairtrade bananas are sourced from a number of countries including Panama, where the retailer stepped in to support the Coobana co-operative of banana workers achieve Fairtrade certification.   

 

Furthermore, as part of its wider commitment to tackling global poverty, the Group is delivering a unique range of projects and initiatives that go beyond Fairtrade.

 

In Panama, for example, as well as a guaranteed price for their bananas and the Fairtrade premium, the co-operative is receiving an additional £260,000 from the retailer over a three-year period to deliver clean water, sanitation and fuel-efficient stoves, as well as co-operative development. 

 

At the same time, a unique project created by The Co-operative and supplier Finlay Beverages and involving 11,000 tea smallholders in Kenya has come to fruition - with tea from the Kibagenge project being included in The Co-operative's 99 Tea for the first time.

Local Co-operative Chelmsford Star will be running an evening event in its quadrant department store to promote Fair-trade Fortnight on Thursday 8^rd March from 6.45pm.

 

The ticketed event aims to give attendees a greater understanding of Fair-trade. As such there will be a presentation by Joseph Cheruiyot from the Kibagenge Co-operative in Kenya, soon to be suppliers to the Co-operative 99 tea brand.

 

There will also be a launch of a Fairtrade king size quilt when all local quilting organisations will be encouraged to play their part.  The Society plans to have the quilt completed in readiness to display from ‘International Day of Co-operatives’ on 7^th July, 2012.

 

Tickets are £5 each and include a Fairtrade buffet. They are available from Customer Services on the first floor at quadrant, 220 Moulsham Street or email events@chelmsfordstar.coop to reserve a space.

Co-operative Energy has scooped the Best Energy Provider Award at the Consumer Moneyfacts Awards 2012. The new energy provider picked up the award following its pledge to offer transparency on profits, clear bills and a simple tariff for new and loyal customers.

The ethical energy provider was voted the best energy provider by consumers via an online survey, ahead of a shortlist of seven contenders including Big Six, EDF, e.on and npower.

The aim of the awards is to give the UK’s millions of customers a voice and a chance to reflect how they feel about the range of products available to them.

On receiving the award, Ramsay Dunning, Group General Manager at Co-operative Energy said: “I am very proud to collect this prestigious award on behalf of the team at Co-operative Energy. It means even more to us that we’ve being recognised by customers for offering a fair and honest price and service.

“As a membership organisation our purpose is to serve our customers and we are delighted to have been recognised for that.”

The awards were held at The HAC, London on Thursday 26^th January 2012.

Local Co-operative Society Chelmsford Star, reported bumper xmas sales in its Braintree quadrant department store despite the general high street doom and gloom.

Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon commented;

“The store sales have been gradually building momentum during December and we were delighted to see an uplift of footfall in the week leading into xmas of over 23%.   As a consequence the store achieved its best trading week of the year. This would indicate that many Braintree people chose to shop local and we had a good mix of what they wanted”.

Key areas in particular were toys, young fashion and footwear. The store houses the beleaguered footwear brand Barratt’s which went into administration prior to Xmas. As a new buyer hasn’t been found, the company plans to close many stores including concessions (store within stores). However, because of the continued excellent sales performance, the Barratt’s department in quadrant will be one of the units that will continue to trade, which was welcomed relief for all.

Sales in the store post xmas have continued to be buoyant as it moved into its annual winter sale with beds and furniture being the star performers.

The Society operates another quadrant department store in Chelmsford which also reported good sales but saw less footfall due to shoppers choosing to visit other shopping centres such as Westfields in Stratford.

Local Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star has embarked on its annual search for its next ‘Charity of the Year’ for 2012/13.

 

Lance Gardner, Society President said;

 

‘The Board of Directors are currently looking for local registered charities to put themselves forward as potential candidates backed up with a written statement on what the funds are required for. They compile a short list in mid-February and then invite the 800 members of the Society’s employees to vote on their preference.

 

The name of the charity with the most votes is declared at the annual general meeting at the end of April. After which the new charity and Society work together on fund raising ideas for the year, including collecting tins featured at over 150 till points as well as sponsored events and raffles.

 

As the Society trades from 45 branches from Braintree to Southend-on-sea, prospective candidates should be able to demonstrate that their cause would be recognised by customers across all stores. Charities are encouraged to make contact with the Society’s stores with assistance and support in all major initiatives as and when required.

 

Chelmsford Star is now more than half way through with this year’s nomination, Families InFocus (Essex).

 

Rachel Ellis Director at Families InFocus (Essex) said;

 

“We were delighted to have been chosen as Chelmsford Star’s ‘Charity of the Year’. The money raised will make a huge difference by enabling us to reach out to many more families who since the down turn in the economy have approached us for help.”

 

In 2010/2011 the Society raised just under £35 000 for Macmillan Cancer Support which was apparently the largest individual donation made in Essex.

 

Interested parties should email Lance Gardner at coty@chelmsfordstar.coop or write to him at 220 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 OLS by 31^st January 2012.

Local Co-operative Society Chelmsford Star is preparing for a year of celebration as it takes part in the International Year of Co-operatives 2012 which launches on 12^th January, 2012.

 

Owned by its members, run on behalf of its members, Chelmsford Star Co-operative will be joining 5,450 other co-operative enterprises across the UK to celebrate the International Year. It plans to mark the launch day with a photo opportunity including members of its Board, Councillor Robert Shepherd, Mayor of Chelmsford and Town Crier, Tony Appleton at 10am at its Duke Street convenience food store.

 

Designated by the United Nations, the year will demonstrate how, through the co-operative values and principles, ‘Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World’. From farmers to football teams, healthcare to housing providers, photographers to food growers, Chelmsford Star a retail co-operative, is one of 1.4 million co-operative enterprises in the 98 countries across the world taking part in the 2012 International Year of Co-operatives.

 

Lance Gardner, President at Chelmsford Star comments,

 

 “As a co-operative we’re owned by our members and not shareholders.  We’re proud to belong to the local Essex business community and to be part of a global community of co-operative businesses. The UK is the birthplace of the global co-operative movement and we certainly hope that our activity will highlight how we are playing our part in building a better world.

 

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK comments,

 

“This is an opportunity for every co-operative, from locally owned community shops to national brands in the UK co-operative sector, to shine in the global spotlight. And demonstrate just how co-operatives here in the UK pursue economic visibility and social responsibility.”

 

For more information on the event contact Vanessa Howard on 01245 216911 or email vanessa@chelmsfordstar.coop

 

For more information on United Nations 2012 International Year of Co-operatives visit the ICA at www.2012.coop or the United Nations at http://social.un.org/coopsyear.

Over 200 Rotarians and a number of local businesses came together recently at the ‘quadrant’ department store in Chelmsford at an exclusive shopping event in aid of Families InFocus(Essex). 

 

During the evening Stylist Margaret Flemming presented style guides sessions for both ladies and men. QVC chef Malcolm Harradine demonstrated Christmas recipes. Local artists and jewellery makers also had the opportunity to display their goods and all enjoyed an excellent buffet provided by the in house restaurant, Brambles.

 

Society Marketing Manager, Vanessa Howard said;

 

‘This is our fourth event for the local Rotary Clubs and is not only a great networking opportunity but at the same time raises funds for a good cause.’

All proceeds for the event including money raised from a magnificent raffle of over £500 worth of prizes enabled the quadrant and the Rotary Clubs to hand over a cheque to Families InFocus(Essex) for just over £1200!

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Funeral Services held its fourth evening remembrance service at its branch in Great Baddow on Friday 9th December 2011.

 

Over 80 people braved the cold weather and turned up to hear Piper Trevor Sharp start the event followed by the blessing of the Christmas tree by Reverend Carol Smith of St Lukes Moulsham Lodge, a seasonal poem read by humanist Chris Cornell, and a very moving Last Post performed by the Royal British Legion standard bearers. The event climaxed with the haunting voice of teenager Chelsea Claydon singing ‘Amazing Grace’, bringing a tear to many an eye.

 

The evening finished with personal remembrance messages placed on a beautifully decorated Christmas tree followed by mince pies and mulled wine.

 

Funeral Operations Manager, Craig Jackson said;

 

“It was a fantastic turnout and many people mentioned how touched they were by the service. I would like to thank all who gave their time into making the evening so special.”

Chelmsford Star Co-operative has joined forces with Essex Community Foundation to promote the ‘Surviving Winter Appeal 2011’.

Staying warm and healthy in our cold winter is something most of us take for granted. However, around 700 people in Essex die each year because of cold weather and poor living conditions. Many elderly and vulnerable people struggle to stretch their winter payments whilst others have far less of a need for them. Essex Community Foundation acts as a conduit between the two, to enable a fairer distribution of funds to those who desperately need it.

Marketing and PR Manager Vanessa Howard said,

‘The figure of 700 is shocking; by promoting the scheme through our stores we hope that a greater awareness can go some way to making a real difference’.  

The scheme, endorsed by both Sir Terry Wogan and Sir David Jason, is growing in momentum. For those interested in donating visit www.essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk.

Essex based Co-operative Society, Chelmsford Star, which has enjoyed strong trading results over recent years, has announced changes in leadership at Board level.

Lance Gardner has been appointed President and Pauline Dodd, Vice President.  Both will serve until the Society’s next elections which will be in April 2012.

 

The Board is confident that these changes will enable the Society to meet the undoubted challenges 2012 will bring and will serve well the interest of members.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative's ‘quadrant’ department store in Braintree recently held a 1940’s evening in order to raise funds for its charity of the year, Families InFocus(Essex).

Over 200 enjoyed a whole host of entertainment including Barry Smith and his silver Bird, Martine and A2 Jive dancers, 40’s hair and makeup, a 1940’s style fashion show, and 1940's nibbles including spam sandwiches.

The Braintree and District Museum brought an array of war time ephemera and ex fighter pilot; Frank Parker took many through his special photo album of memories and mementos.

Commenting on the evening Marketing Manager Vanessa Howard said;

“We were delighted at the turn out especially as so many made the effort to dress up in the 40’s style which just shows the strength of feeling people have about this period.”

Ken Crisell won a flight on an original Tiger Moth, the star prize in the charity raffle which along with the ticket sales raised over £1300 for the charity.

Co-operatives UK has launched the UK's website for the United Nations International Year of Co-operatives 2012 - www.uk.coop/2012.

The website provides information on what is happening across the country and features a range of useful resources about co-operatives and the International Year for businesses, individuals, journalists and all those interested in learning more.

Also available on the website is a UK identity mark for the International Year. Developed by The Co-operative Group and Co-operatives UK, it can be downloaded in various formats by co-operative businesses and supporters for use in communications and campaigns during the International Year.

In addition, toolkits and leaflets can now be ordered from the site. A range of materials will be added over the coming months – case studies, images and films – which businesses and supporters can use to make the most of the International Year.

The 2012 website also provides extensive links to other activities and sites across the world, including a feed to the Global News Hub and a forthcoming link to www.stories.coop, a new International Co-operative Alliance initiative which is due to go live at the start of 2012.

Ed Mayo, Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, said:

"2012 is a unique opportunity. We'd love to see everyone in the sector – and beyond – make it a co-operative year by promoting their co-operative values.

"This new website will help businesses and individuals make the most of it – an online events map, useful resources to order or download and links to what else is happening. It will be an online hub for everyone in the UK involved or interested in the International Year of Co-operatives."

To find out more, please visit the website www.uk.coop/2012

Chelmsford Star Co-operative recently held its 24^th retired and long serving employees dinner at its quadrant department store, in Chelmsford.

Over 100 attended the event, including 10 members of staff who had reached mile stone lengths of service.  Between them they had notched up 190 years of working for the Society. In paying tribute to them, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon said;

“We currently employ over 800 staff across our four trading divisions and our employees are critical to the success of our business. Therefore it’s a great pleasure to take time out to reward these particular individuals who have given so much to the Society for much of their working life.”

The employee who had reached the longest service of 35 years was Veronica Graham, from Springfield in Chelmsford. She currently works on administration for the food division and plans to retire in 2012.

Local Co-operative Society Chelmsford Star has just celebrated 25 years of travel in its Chelmsford quadrant department store.

Over the years the travel department has served literally thousands of people creating dream holidays. Currently branded as the Co-operative Travel, the four well travelled members of staff spend much of their time today putting together long haul holidays for the more discerning clients. Travel Manager, Debbie Jackson said;

"Our clients expect a good selection of travel options, competitive prices but service is the key. They want to feel special and that their custom is valued. Hence why we see so much repeat business, our girls have a wealth of experience so that we can correctly advise ensuring that each of our clients get the holiday they deserve"

To celebrate the occasion the staff were joined by the original Manager, John De La Pascua, who commented;

"I have been retired for thirteen years now, but I did relish my time as a Travel Manager, it was always so rewarding especially when you had clients return year after year, so you know you were doing a good job"

Debbie and John reflected on what had happened in the travel industry over the past 25 years and were both surprised to learn that the best selling travel firm in 1986 was Thomsons and today it was still the same!

Chelmsford Star Co-operative Services Funeral division brought Chelmsford town centre to a halt at midday last Saturday when it celebrated 75 years of serving the local community with a funeral procession from Writtle to one of its branches in Baddow Road.

Starting on the green in Writtle, many of the villagers came to see and photograph an assortment of various funeral vehicles including a 1935 Austin, a horse drawn carriage and a motorbike with side coffin carrier.

The procession left Writtle at 12 noon to pass the Society's Broomfield funeral branch on its way through the town centre towards the Army Navy roundabout. At that point it was then led down Baddow Road towards the funeral branch, by Craig Jackson, Funeral Operations Manager and Corrine Cadey one of the Society's female funeral directors.

Craig commented;

"Fortunately the weather was on our side, and we were delighted with the turnout by everyone. We now look forward to the next 75 years and wonder what the future has in store? I expect a funeral in 2064 may well look very different to today as indeed one in 2011 does against one that took place in 1936."

At the Baddow Road branch many came to view an exhibition of a number of historic items including a funeral helmet dating back to 1558 and a Funeral bier from 1899. The Society's President, Maurice Austin helped ex funeral employee Jan Dewer (also born in 1936), to cut the specially made anniversary cake.

Chelmsford Star Co-operative has supported local initiative 'Harvest for the Hungry' since its inception in 1999. This county wide annual event is hoping to raise this year £35k or 44 tons of aid which will be sent to the neediest parts of North Western Bulgaria. The project involves 106 schools and 38 churches and many businesses and individuals working together to make a huge difference to an area so desperate for humanitarian help. The Society donated this year a pallet of Co-operative flour and much needed shrink wrap to protect all the donated goods for their long journey by road.

Marketing & PR Manager Vanessa Howard said;

'When we hear stories about how a simple parcel of food can mean life or death to some people it's humbling and reminds us of just how lucky we are not to be in their situation. This is such a worthwhile project that binds the Essex community together for the benefit of others'

Since the project started over 40 000 boxes of food aid have been sent helping in particular, orphans and the elderly in a village called Lom on the Danube. The Charity has also managed to transform a dilapidated children's home, sent 3 ambulances, a mini bus and a fire engine.

The quadrant department store in Chelmsford has made a commitment to giving its customers and workers an enhanced level of protection against potentially fatal heart attacks.

It has recently purchased an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and called in St John Ambulance to train 6 members of staff in how to use it.

In the UK, one person suffers a heart attack every two minutes and as many as one in three will die before they reach hospital. For each minute that passes without defibrillation, the chances of survival fall by up to 10 per cent. Survival rates increase by more than 50% if a defibrillator is used within the first four minutes. Thirteen per cent of workplace casualties are cardiac arrest victims.

St John Ambulance in the East of England launched a campaign earlier this year to encourage more businesses to buy in the AEDs and training in a bid to stop people dying unnecessarily.

St John Ambulance East Regional Marketing Manager Phil Cheung said:

'We're delighted that the quadrant has taken up our offer and hope many others follow suit. Businesses who have experienced someone dying of a heart attack on their premises know it's extremely traumatic for everyone involved. And we know that those deaths can be dramatically reduced with this simple machine. We provide training but it is actually so straight forward it tells you what to do itself, enabling anyone to be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.'

Vanessa Howard, Marketing & PR Manager at the quadrant said:

'We serve many thousand customers a week throughout our store and we feel that having a defibrillator on the premises gives everyone the peace of mind that we are trained and have equipment should it ever be required. It’s really an extension to our customer service as a caring organisation."

A defibrillator can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. Phil Cheung added:

'Every year, thousands of people die of cardiac arrest when first aid could give them the chance to live. Our own research shows that currently 72% of businesses don't have access to a defibrillator despite 66% of employees believing that employers should reasonably be expected to keep one.

To encourage more businesses and organisations to install defibrillators, St John Ambulance is offering a special package in the East of England of a Philips Heart Start defibrillator and on-site training in how to use it for up to eight people for just £1,295 plus VAT.

Essex based Chelmsford Star has reported record interim results for 28 weeks ended 13th August 2011.

Gross takings amounted to £45,598,618, an increase of £4,433,714 or 10.77%, aided by an expansion in Food. Gross takings on a "like for like" basis increased by £1,743,981 or 4.24%.

Gross takings in the Society's convenience based Food business grew 12.82%, and 5.23% on a "like for like" basis. Commenting on the Society's Food figures, Chief Executive Officer, Tony Gudgeon stated, "I am very pleased with our Food performance because for the third year running we are in the upper quartile of food growth on a "like for like" basis and we have grown profitability in a very difficult market".

The challenging economic conditions have had an effect on the Society's Departmental Stores where business is down 3.16%, but Travel up 12.68%, Funerals up 16.48% and Investment Property income up 6.70% have all contributed to very solid growth.

Trading profit amounted to £1,141,123, which is a new interim record for the Society, and net profit amounted to £956,461, which is £87,201 or 10.0% higher than a year ago.

Commenting on profitability, Society President, Maurice Austin stated, "Our business plan and business strategies recognised that 2011 was going to be very difficult for retailers but our business model has shown real resilience and delivered an interim result which is better than we anticipated".