Central England Co-operative has reported turnover of £844.6m in its final year as a standalone society, ahead of its move into OurCoop, the UK’s largest independent co-operative society.

The society, which published its annual report and accounts ahead of its Annual Members Meeting today, recorded underlying operating profit of £9.5m, down from £11m the previous year, alongside trading profit of £4.3m.

Gross profit margin improved by 55 basis points to 29.9 per cent, while net assets increased by £48m over the year.

Central England also invested £24.5m across the business, including new stores, technology platforms and renewable energy generation.

The year saw six new stores open and a further 13 regenerated. The society also continued to develop its digital funeral services and rolled out solar generation across its estate, as part of OurCoop’s ambition to become energy self-sufficient in the short to medium term.

The society said it exceeded its in-year green energy target, with Chelmsford Star sites now fully powered by green energy.

Member engagement also rose during the year, with 175,000 new members joining, up from 124,079 in 2024/25. By year end, 310,000 members had downloaded the society’s members app, while active member participation reached 37 per cent.

Members earned more than £5m in rewards through everyday shopping, alongside their regular Share of the Profits.

The results mark the final reporting year for Central England Co-operative before its transfer of engagements with The Midcounties Co-operative on 26 January 2026. Central England, Chelmsford Star and Midcounties Co-operative have now come together under the OurCoop name.

OurCoop now serves more than one million members and employs 13,000 colleagues across food, funeralcare, post offices, travel, energy and finance services.

OurCoop chief executive Debbie Robinson said: “This report closes one chapter and opens another. Central England Co-operative ends its final standalone year having delivered solid results, grown net assets by £48m and invested significantly in what comes next.

“2025 was the year three independent societies made a deliberate choice to stay independent and to do it together. Our members voted for that future overwhelmingly and OurCoop now stands as the UK’s largest independent co-operative, with ambition to deliver more for our members and our communities.

“My thanks to our colleagues, our board and our members for bringing us to this point. The work now is to build on what we have laid down, with purpose and at pace.”

The year was not without disruption, with the cyber-attack on Co-op Group in May affecting supply across the wider co-operative network. Central England said its own systems were unaffected and that its broader mix of businesses helped it continue trading through the disruption.

OurCoop members can register to attend the Annual Members Meeting online or in person across eight venues.

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning