2001 – present day
Key events in The Co-operative's history between 2000 and the present day
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2001
The Co-operative becomes the first retailer to introduce Braille onto its own-brand range of medicines. We are also the first retailer to include Braille labels on some own-brand alcoholic drinks. The move coincided with the launch of our premium whisky and vodka in time for Christmas 2001.
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The Co-operative switches all own-brand coffee to Fairtrade, which means an extra £1m each year is returned to coffee farmers in the developing world.
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The Co-operative Insurance Society head office in Manchester (the CIS Tower) became Europe’s largest vertical solar project, with all three sides of its 25 stories clad in energy-generating solar panels.The Solar Tower provides enough electricity to power 1,000 PCs for a year.
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The Co-operative officially became the UK’s most trusted retailer. New research from the international institute AccountAbility and the National Consumer Council shows that The Co‑operative is the most trusted brand in the eyes of consumers, in front of tough competition from the likes of Marks & Spencer, The Body Shop, John Lewis and Tesco.
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2007
Merger successfully completed between The Co‑operative Group and United Co-operatives. The original Co-op 'clover leaf' logo adopted by United is now obsolete, superseded by The Co-operative logo throughout the family of businesses.
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The Co-operative Group acquires Somerfield, adding over 800 outlets to the Food store portfolio. Combined with Somerfield the business now operates more than 3,000 grocery stores as the fifth largest food retailer in the UK with a market share of approximately 8%.
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Britannia becomes part of The Co-operative Bank and therefore a CFS business. This merger brings together Britannia's extensive high street presence and savings and mortgage product strength, with the personal and corporate banking, insurance and fund management expertise of The Co-operative Bank, Insurance and Investments. |
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