Celebrating 2023: Our year in numbers

Looking back over 2023, it's clear we've achieved a lot as a Society. But none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for Members like you!

Membership matters

Share of the Profits

A benefit of being a Co-operative is that we share our profits with our Members. As part of our Share of the Profits, we paid out £975,632 to Members across two dividends in 2023.

Membership App

We launched our new Membership App in March 2023 which has seen 169,110 App downloads so far! Our App features the latest offers, keeps you up to date with what’s on in your community and includes a digital card you can scan every time you shop with us. Have you downloaded it yet?

Member exclusive prices

Our Member prices have been popular since their launch in October 2022. But did you know, in 2023 these offers saved our Members £6,722,491? Don’t forget to keep an eye out for these Member prices in store when you next shop with us!

Supporting our communities

Community Dividend Fund

Through Community Dividend Funding, Members can apply for grants to go towards community access to food, health & wellbeing, inclusion or the environment. Last year we distributed £143,000 between 176 good causes!

Dementia UK

Thanks to the incredible support of our Members and customers, last year we were able to raise £305,805 for our long-standing charity partner, Dementia UK. This value forms part of the £2.3 million total raised since 2017. With your continued help, we can keep working together to improve the lives of those affected by dementia.

Star Deals & The BillyChip Foundation

Over the festive period, you may have spotted Star Deals in our shops. For every Star Deal sold, we donated a proportion of the sale to The BillyChip Foundation. With your support, £44,000 has been raised!

Set up in memory of Billy Abernethy-Hope, the Foundation’s mission is to financially support charities who share Billy's passion to improve the lives of the people affected by homelessness.

Shelter via Pennies

Nearly 139,000 children wake up on 25th December without a place to call home. As part of our Goodwill to All campaign for 2023, your donations to Shelter via Pennies, have helped to raise £29,000 for people affected by homelessness!

Too Good To Go

Through our partnership with Too Good To Go, 129,088 bags of food have been saved from becoming food waste. This quantity is the equivalent of off-setting 332.7 tonnes of CO2 emissions, the yearly emissions of 38 UK citizens, or running a hot shower constantly for 2 years!

Our Malawi Partnership

On 2nd July, we celebrated our first anniversary of Our Malawi Partnership! In 2023, 23,740 individual Malawi tea bags were sold. We hope you enjoyed your many cuppas knowing you've helped to support global communities!

Green energy self-sufficiency & sustainability

New shop openings

Last year we opened 5 new shops, which feature our new brand signage and a range of sustainably-focused additions, including solar installations, EV chargers and electronic shelf edge labels!

Shop regenerations

We've reinvested in 23 stores across 2023, including our Halesworth store, community space, and coffee shop, to bring an even better offering to our Members and customers. 

Energy savings

To reduce the amount of energy being wasted, we've partnered with Sol PV to install solar panels onto rooftops across our food stores, funeral homes and filling stations. These solar panels are saving 30% of energy on average, per installation.

Bike maintenance events

Cycling is a healthy & eco-friendly way to get around and we’re keen to help you keep your wheels in motion. You’ll find free bike service stations at several of our stores, but did you know we also host maintenance events? Last year, 200 bikes underwent maintenance checks and 23 unwanted bikes were donated for community projects!

Sustainable spaces

Our commitment to sustainability is seen through the development of 2 new community sustainable spaces: Bretby and Dudley. Created in partnership with the charity Groundwork UK, these spaces help the local community connect with nature and have been funded by the sale of our compostable carrier bags.

Tree planting

We want to create a sustainable Society for all, and we're doing our bit by planting a tree for every funeral we do. We planted 19,075 trees last year, which has helped to offset CO2 by up to 6,000 tonnes & lower our impact on the environment.

Younger generation

Workshops

Our Member & Community Relations Officers host a range of workshops to inspire and educate the younger generation. Covering subjects including guidance on healthy eating, career opportunities, employability skills and anti-bullying, over 150 workshops were hosted in 2023.

Magic Breakfasts

Approximately 200,000 meals were funded in 2023 by the sales of our compostable carrier bags. In association with Magic Breakfast, we support six primary schools across our trading area, to ensure students receive a breakfast. Starting the day with a meal helps to improve concentration and behaviour.

Toy Appeal

We asked, and you definitely delivered! As part of our Goodwill to All campaign, 7,600 toys were donated by Members, customers and colleagues. These were distributed to various charity partners, including Family Action, Rainbows, and The Salvation Army to ensure local children could open a gift on 25th December!

Thank you for all your support in 2023! We can't wait to see what 2024 will bring and we're excited to continue to grow these numbers as we go.