Co-op Group

Here at the Co-op we’re committed to promoting equality and preventing discrimination at work.

We know that simply having a diverse workforce is not enough. We want to create an inclusive environment, where everyone can contribute their best work and develop to their full potential.

We also want to celebrate the fact that everyone is different yet valued and to make sure that every colleague is treated with dignity and respect.

We're different at Co-op. We're not owned by 1 person or a group of executives. We're owned by over 4 million members, and thanks to them we gave £19 million to local causes last autumn. As a member, when you buy selected Co-op branded food products and services, 1% of the money you spend goes to local causes in your community. You can choose which cause your own 1% goes to. You too can become a member by signing up in store or registering online at coop.co.uk/membership

As well as having clear financial and operational objectives and employing nearly 70,000 people, we’re a recognised leader for our social goals and community-led programmes. We exist to meet members’ needs and stand up for the things they believe in.

So, the more successful we are, the more we can give back to you and your local community.

That’s why we’re different.

As a community based employer, we recognise the importance of creating work ready communities. By developing employability skills, creating meaningful experiences and providing employment for individuals furthest away from work we’re able to make a positive impact on unemployment and raise aspirations within our communities, all whilst helping address diversity imbalances and skills shortages across Co-op.

We call this Community Resourcing, the way in which we strengthen our Co-op and our communities through employability. To help deliver positive change we follow a 4 step model within which many of our programmes and partnerships are linked to:

Raise awareness of careers and educate about the ‘world of work’

Create meaningful experiences of the workplace

Develop quality and future fit employability skills

Enable access to fair and sustainable employment

Through strategic and local partnerships with organisations like Barclays Connect With Work, The Princes Trust and Co-op Academies Trust, we’re able to have reach and impact across the UK but also focus on those who need support the most. This way we’re able to achieve wider and more sustained impact as we are closer to our community strategy but also making positive progress against some of the biggest challenges facing our business.