Statement from Shirine Khoury Haq, CEO at Co-op, on The Princess of Wales’ new Business Taskforce for early childhood

21 March 2023

“It is an honour to have been invited by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales to join her new Business Taskforce for early childhood. We look forward to playing our part to support the Princess of Wales’ important work to transform the way in which society prioritises and supports children and the support networks around them in their earliest years.

“Our role in the Business Taskforce further extends our commitment to Co-operating for a Fairer World by supporting young people within our communities. Just last week the Co-op announced that our new charity partner is Barnardo’s. Through this partnership we will be working with the UK’s largest children’s charity to support 750,000 young people aged 10-25 years old to help improve their mental wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem, as well as helping young people and their families to meet basic needs.”

ENDS

About Co-op:

Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives with interests across food, funerals, insurance and legal services. Owned by millions of UK consumers, the Co-op operates over 2,500 food stores, over 800 funeral homes and provides products to over 5,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies and through its wholesale business, Nisa Retail Limited.

Employing almost 60,000 people, the Co-op has an annual turnover of over £11billion and is a recognised leader for its social goals and community-led programmes. The Co-op exists to meet members’ needs and stand up for the things they believe in.