Traidcraft – one of the pathfinders of Fairtrade commerce in the UK – is in crisis.  After completing a restructuring exercise the organisation will be employing just 12 staff, down.. read more

“The Co-operative Bank has largely avoided the consequences of the market turmoil. Our cautious and responsible approach to business development limited our exposure to the problems that have afflicted many.. read more

Portrush on Northern Ireland’s most northerly coast was not the most hospitable of places during the cold winds of the ‘Beast from the East’, yet the Northern Ireland Co-operative Party’s.. read more

Credit unions are struggling to cope with the challenge of switching to digital functionality, according to a global report from the Digital Growth consultancy.  While this is also true for.. read more

A month can be a long time in business.  In July Sainsbury’s was given exclusivity in its bid talks for mutual grocery chain Nisa.  But in August, the Co-op Group.. read more

A bidding war is taking place between the Co-operative Group and Sainsbury’s to acquire Nisa – the Northern Independent Supermarkets Association and itself a co-operative of grocery traders.  Nisa provides.. read more

The Co-operative Group’s announcement of a significant loss resulting from its shareholding in the Co-operative Bank should not be a surprise to anyone who has been paying close attention to.. read more

Speculation has intensified over recent days about the future of The Co-operative Bank.  According to The Times and the Sunday Times, the bank may be forced to close, or sell.. read more

These are difficult times for energy co-ops and they are set to get significantly worse.  It is not just that the Financial Conduct Authority is taking a tough line on.. read more

The building society sector is in surprisingly good health, according to the just published KPMG Building Society Database 2014. Of the remaining 45 building societies, 35 have reported increased profits.. read more

Globalisation, I suggest, is bad news for co-operatives and other types of mutuals. By creating a massive single market, globalisation favours the giant corporations that have the capital base to.. read more

Just how many businesses are there that trade using the ‘co-operative’ branding, yet are not co-operatives? The situation has reached what some might call crisis point, and others might play.. read more