Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), operating as Co-op, is a
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 ...
providing procurement and distribution to member
co-operatives in Western Canada.
It was established in 1944 after a series of amalgamations of smaller cooperatives, starting in Saskatchewan, including the Saskatchewan Co-operative Wholesale Society and a fuel production and distribution co-op,
the
Consumers’ Co-operative Refinery Limited.
Federated had expanded to
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Terr ...
, and
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
by 1970.
Federated Co-operatives is owned by about 160 member co-operatives across the region. Some are large co-operatives, such as
Saskatoon Co-op and
Calgary Co-op
Calgary Co-operative Association Limited (commonly referred to as Calgary Co-op) is a retail cooperative operating in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
History
Opened in the 1940s as a food store operated by the United Farmers of Alberta in Calgary and ...
, while others are small co-ops based in small towns, such as Abernethy Co-op.
In 2009, FCL was ranked as the largest co-operative in Canada by total sales.
[ In 2010, FCL was the second largest company by annual sales in ]Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Da ...
. During that year, it earned revenues of 498 million and returned $355.7 million to its member retailers. In 2008 Federated Co-operatives saw sales increase and posted its 37th record year in a row for both sales and profits.
History
The contemporary FCL is the result of several ongoing co-operative amalgamations. In 1944, the Consumers’ Co-operative Refineries Limited (based in Regina and founded in 1934) and the Saskatchewan Co-Op Wholesale merged to form the Saskatchewan Federated Co-operatives Limited.
FCL purchased Downie Street Sawmills of Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke () is a city in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, with a census population of 8,275 in 2021. Revelstoke is located east of Vancouver, and west of Calgary, Alberta. The city is situated on the banks of the Columbia River just sout ...
in 1969. The forest products operation replaced a Smith, Alberta
Smith is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is located on Highway 2A, approximately northwest of Edmonton, at the confluence of the Lesser Slave River and the Athabasca Rive ...
, business FCL sold in 1977.
The United Co-operatives of Ontario were purchased by Growmark in 1994, since operating as FS.
In March 2010, Federated Co-operatives announced an agreement with SeaChoice, a program of Sustainable Seafood Canada devoted to sustainable seafood Sustainable seafood is seafood that is caught or farmed in ways that consider the long-term vitality of harvested species and the well-being of the oceans, as well as the livelihoods of fisheries-dependent communities. It was first promoted through ...
. Through collaboration, the organizations seek to develop a long term sustainability strategy for seafood sales and procurement in the co-operatives' member businesses.
Federated Co-operatives was awarded the SABEX Environmental & Sustainability award from the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce in May 2010.
In November 2012, FCL sold its Forest Products Division operations in Canoe, British Columbia
Canoe, British Columbia, is a semi-rural community in British Columbia within the larger City of Salmon Arm. The community lies on the south side of Shuswap Lake, northeast of the city centre, just off the Trans Canada Highway. Canoe is home to th ...
to Gorman Bros. Lumber. In August 2013, FCL acquired 17 agri-business locations across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and one in Manitoba, from Viterra, which was in the process of selling its Canadian agriculture business to Agrium
Agrium was a major retail supplier of agricultural products and services in North America, South America and Australia and a wholesale producer and marketer of all three major agricultural nutrients and a supplier of specialty fertilizers in Nor ...
. They were transferred to local FCL affiliates, excluding two that were retained by FCL and closed. In February 2014, FCL acquired 14 grocery store locations from Sobeys; the divestment was to comply with requirements imposed by the Competition Bureau
The Competition Bureau (french: Bureau de la concurrence) is the competition regulator in Canada. It is an independent Canadian law enforcement agency that ensures that markets operate in a competitive, innovative manner.
Headed by the Commis ...
in the wake of its 2013 acquisition of Safeway. These stores, which were mainly former Safeway locations, were transferred to local affiliates and re-branded as Co-op stores in May 2014. The acquisition notably marked the first time since 1983 that Red River Co-op had operated grocery stores in its footprint.
In August 2019, FCL member Calgary Co-op
Calgary Co-operative Association Limited (commonly referred to as Calgary Co-op) is a retail cooperative operating in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
History
Opened in the 1940s as a food store operated by the United Farmers of Alberta in Calgary and ...
announced that Overwaitea Food Group
The Overwaitea Food Group is an operator of supermarkets, based in Langley, British Columbia. It is owned by the Jim Pattison Group. Most stores are under the Save-On-Foods banner, which it launched in 1982.
On March 8, 1915, Robert C. Kidd pur ...
would supply the products for its grocery stores beginning April 2020, rather than FCL. FCL executives criticized the move for their decision to be supplied by a privately-owned competitor, and having a potential impact on the group's overall business (including its Calgary distribution centre).
In December 2019, Unifor
Unifor is a general trade union in Canada and the largest private sector union in Canada. It was founded in 2013 as a merger of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions, and consists of 310,000 worke ...
called for a national boycott of all FCL operations due to an ongoing lockout and hiring of replacement workers to replace workers at Co-op's Regina refinery.
In November 2021, FCL reached an agreement to acquire 181 Husky
Husky is a general term for a dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies that ma ...
-branded retail locations for $264 million—FCL's largest acquisition to-date. They are located in Western Canada, and will be transferred to FCL affiliates or independent franchisees (under the Tempo banner). The sale was part of the divestment of Husky's retail operations by new owner Cenovus Energy
Cenovus Energy Inc. (pronounced se-nō-vus) is an integrated oil and natural gas company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.
Cenovus was formed in 2009 when Encana Corporation split into two distinct companies, with Cenovus becoming focused on o ...
, with the remainder being sold to Parkland Corporation.
Services
Key services fall into the following categories:
* product distribution from warehouse facilities in Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
, Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, Saskatoon, Regina, and Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
.
* six animal feed plants in Western Canada (Ag Business)
* 20 propane distribution centers
* Co-op Refinery Complex (Oil refinery based in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city population ...
)
* The Grocery People is based in Edmonton, Alberta, and serves independent grocery stores in western Canada
Store brands
Federated Co-operatives markets several store brand
A private label, also called a private brand or private-label brand, is a brand owned by a company, offered by that company alongside and competing with brands from other businesses. A private-label brand is almost always offered exclusively by th ...
s at its affiliated retailers, including ''Co-op Gold'', ''Co-op Gold Pure'', ''Co-op Market Town'', ''Co-op Centsibles'' (discount-oriented), ''Co-op Care+'' (pharmacy), ''Co-operative Coffee'', and ''Lucky Dragon'' (Asian food line).
Its petroleum division franchises the service station brands Tempo, and Western Nations (which is franchised to operators within First Nations communities).
References
External links
*
Further reading
*Fairbairn, Brett. (1989) ''Building a dream : the co-operative retailing system in western Canada, 1928-1988.'' Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Western Producer Prairie Books.
{{Authority control
Cooperatives in Canada
Cooperative federations
Business services companies established in 1944
Distribution companies of Canada
Companies based in Saskatoon
Oil companies of Canada
Forest products companies of Canada
Gas stations in Canada
1944 establishments in Saskatchewan
Energy companies established in 1944