![Silvertown CWS Flour Mill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Silvertown_CWS_Flour_Mill.jpg)
A co-operative wholesale society, or CWS, is a form of
co-operative federation A co-operative federation or secondary co-operative is a co-operative in which all members are, in turn, co-operatives.
Historically, co-operative federations have predominantly come in the form of co-operative wholesale societies and co-operative ...
(that is, a
co-operative in which all the members are co-operatives), in this case, the members are usually
consumer cooperative
A consumers' co-operative is an enterprise owned by consumers and managed democratically and that aims at fulfilling the needs and aspirations of its members. Such co-operatives operate within the market system, independently of the state, as a f ...
s. According to co-operative economist
Charles Gide
Charles Gide (; 1847–1932) was a French economist and historian of economic thought. He was a professor at the University of Bordeaux, at Montpellier, at Université de Paris and finally at Collège de France. His nephew was the author André G ...
, the aim of a co-operative wholesale society is to arrange “bulk purchases, and, if possible, organise production.” In other words, a co-operative wholesale society is a form of federal co-operative through which consumers co-operatives can collectively purchase goods at wholesale prices, and in some cases collectively own factories or farms.
The best historical examples of this are the English CWS and the Scottish CWS, which are the predecessors of the 21st century
Co-operative Group
Co-operative Group Limited, trading as Co-op, is a British consumer co-operative with a group of retail businesses including food retail, wholesale, e-pharmacy, insurance and legal services, and funeral care.
The Co-operative Group has over ...
. Indeed, in Britain, the terms Co-operative Wholesale Society and CWS are used to refer to this specific organisation rather than the organisational form. However, the English CWS has inspired many imitations around the world (including, for example, the
New South Wales Co-operative Wholesale Society
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
who have also described themselves as co-operative wholesale societies.
Bibliographical history
* ''The Story of the C.W.S.'' (The Jubilee History of the Co-operative Wholesale Society 1863-1913 by
Percy Redfern
Percy Redfern (1875 – 11 February 1958) was a co-operative movement writer and journalist and an advocate for consumer co-operation.
Biography
Redfern was born the illegitimate son of a housekeeper in Leicester in 1875. He was raised by hi ...
) viii, 439,
p.; tables & illustrations, includes lists of officials, and photographs of buildings and some officials. Includes graphs on thin paper relating to economic history from 1860 to 1912, by G. H. Wood.
* ''The New History of the C.W.S.'' by
Percy Redfern
Percy Redfern (1875 – 11 February 1958) was a co-operative movement writer and journalist and an advocate for consumer co-operation.
Biography
Redfern was born the illegitimate son of a housekeeper in Leicester in 1875. He was raised by hi ...
. xiv, 624 p.; illustrated. London: J. M. Dent, 1938. "First published in October, 1938, on the completion of seventy-five years of the Co-operative Wholesale Society limited." "Note on documentary sources": pp. 527–530: "Biographical supplement": pp.
65589.
Co-operative federalism
Co-operative wholesale societies have been advocated by
co-operative federalism
Cooperative federalism is a school of thought in the field of cooperative economics. Historically, its proponents have included J.T.W. Mitchell, Charles Gide, Paul Lambert, and Beatrice Webb (who coined the term in her book ''The Co-operative Mo ...
, which is the school of thought in
co-operative economics
Cooperative (or co-operative) economics is a field of economics that incorporates cooperative studies and political economy toward the study and management of cooperatives.
History
Cooperative economics developed as both a theory and a concret ...
favouring consumer co-operative societies. The co-operative federalists have argued that consumers' co-operatives should form co-operative wholesale societies and that, through such arrangements, they should undertake purchasing farms or factories. They argued that profits (or surpluses) from these CWSes should be paid as
dividends to the member co-operatives, rather than to their workers.
[This analysis is based on a discussion by Gide, Charles, pp. 192-203.]
See also
*
List of co-operative federations
This is a list of co-operative federations. For a list of individual Co-operative Enterprises, please see List of cooperatives.
International
* Africa Confederation of Co-operative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA)
* International Co ...
References
External links
The National Co-operative Archive holds records relating to the Co-operative Wholesale Society.*
{{Co-operatives
Cooperatives
Business models
Wholesalers of the United Kingdom