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The Midcounties Co-operative is the largest independent consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom.〔After The Co-operative Group, see p.34 (''The UK co-operative economy 2012 – alternatives to austerity'' ) Co-operatives UK (retrieved 16 January 2014)〕 Registered in England under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, it is a member of Co-operatives UK and the Co-operative Retail Trading Group. The Society's principal activity is retailing in the mid counties of England. Its trading groups are Food, Funeralcare, Travel, Pharmacy, Post Office, Childcare, (Flexible Benefits ) and Energy. The Midcounties Co-operative has its headquarters in Warwickshire, with trading outlets in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire and the surrounding counties, but also has a national trading presence through its Travel, Childcare, Energy and Flexible Benefits businesses. In 2015 Co-operative Energy initially became the fourth most complained about utility company, with thousands of customers left without bills for six months, before then becoming the second most complained about company and later, in the third quarter of the year, the most complained about.〔http://www.bitterwallet.com/ofgem-reveals-most-complained-about-energy-companies-and-small-isnt-necessarily-best/85842〕〔http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/aug/15/co-op-energy-customers-six-months-wait-bills〕〔http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34786929〕 As of mid 2013, Midcounties became a £1bn business with more than 500 sites and 439,000 members. In 2014 trade with members as a proportion of total sales increased to over 45%. The Midcounties Co-operative has a strong commitment to investing in the communities in which it trades through responsible trading, local sourcing, community projects and charitable work. To this end the co-op invested 17.6% of its 2013-2014 pre-tax profits (£1.8m) into the communities in which it trades. This figure is significantly higher than the average value for large UK co-ops (6.9%) or other rival supermarkets (2.4%). The Society was a pioneer of the 'Fair Tax Mark' and has been ranked in The Sunday Times Best 100 Companies To Work For list in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Its mission statement is 'To be a successful consumer co-operative working towards creating a better, fairer world, and to enhance the lives of our colleagues, members, customers, and the communities we serve'. It has also invested in Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative in Watchfield, Oxfordshire, identified by its promoters as the UK's largest community-owned wind farm at its opening in 2008.〔(Westmill Wind Farm Celebrates Success of Public Share Launch ) Energy4All Press Release, 5 December 2005〕 The founding (non-executive) president is Patrick Gray. ==History== The Midcounties Co-operative was formed in 2005, by the merger of the Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-operative Society and the West Midlands Co-operative Society. As a result, the Society's geographical trading area spans seven counties, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Following the inception and growth of the Travel, Childcare, Flexible Benefits and Energy businesses, it is now a nationally trading Society. Some of the earliest predecessor societies that combined with others to eventually form The Midcounties Co-operative are: 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Midcounties Co-operative」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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