Somerfield in Lordship Lane - Co-op or what?

[Sue]

OK, I know we've had threads ad nauseam but I can't find them.

And I've googled this but I'm still none the wiser.

The Co-op bought out Somerfield, no? But we still have a Somerfield in Lordship Lane, still called Somerfield, with a sign in the window saying something like "Welcome to the Co-op family".

And some Co-op things for sale within which weren't there before.

But - what has happened to the Fairtrade bananas? Somerfield used to sell them and now they don't.

What has happened to the organic veg? Somerfield used to sell it and now they don't.

Where is the Fairtrade wine which Co-ops in other places sell?

In an attempt to clarify this, I asked one of the shelf-stackers "Are you a Co-op now?" He looked at me in bemusement and said "No".

About five minutes later, as I was perusing the shelves in search of binliners, as you do, he came up to me beaming and said "Co-op, yes. Good!" and we did the mutual thumbs-up thing.

So basically I'm still none the wiser.

Co-op? Somerfield? Hybrid?

Edited to add a hyphen :))

[LordLane]

Somerfield has been bought by the co-op and like any other merger that takes place it will take time for them to merge the distribution centres and all of the retail outlets. so they will utilise the economies of scale from adding more shops and therefore more sales and in theory lower costs while they role out a branch by branch re brand. however believe it or not when they bought somerfield they also paid a certain amount for the brand and the goodwill that goes with it which is why they will keep the two of them running side by side for a couple of years which i think they said when the take over went through.

[danrees]

Goodwill or badwill?

[Sue]

Well I'd rather have a Co-op than a Somerfield, would not have thought Somerfield had any particular goodwill in ED after all the problems there have been there.

[DrDom]

It's going to become a TK Maxx.

[TimN]

Dr Dom hought you might be interested to know that I'm selling my house to tk max and at least three of my neighbours are considering it too...

[cidersioux]

The Somerfield in east Dulwich will hopefully become a co-op by the end of the year or beginning of next... The two year time slot was to transfer all somerfields within two years we are definately soon

[Sue]

That's good news :)

[Ann]

I've never shopped at a Co-op although my mum did years ago ( remember Green Shield stamps?) I do shop quite frequently at Somerfields and I think they're OK.

What do others think about the Co-op? How will it be better than Somerfields?

[Sue]

They're into, er, co-operation and fair trade. They're an ethical supermarket chain.

They have very good value things (in my opinion).

Hopefully the Co-op management might keep a better check on things than Somerfield did to prevent the apparent past scams etc, but who knows.

[SimonM]

A boring old pedant looks back nostalgically

Green Shield stamps were Tesco

Co-op's were Pink Stamps

[Ann]

I have fond memories too of those stamps, SimonM you have s good memory, they were much more fun than loyalty cards.

But is this the same Co-op? Because it seemed to disappear off the high street for years. Certainly the one I remember was value for money because I don't think my mum would have shopped there otherwise.

[Sue]

SimonM Wrote:

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> A boring old pedant looks back nostalgically

>

> Green Shield stamps were Tesco

> Co-op's were Pink Stamps

xxxxxx

Loads of places gave Green Shield stamps, didn't they? They were the forerunners of the Nectar card!

I don't remember Co-op stamps, I remember every customer had a number and the cashier wrote it in a little book.

Fifties/early sixties maybe.

:-$

[SimonM]

Ah the Co-op "divi"! I recall my mother saving it up and cashing it with some glee when my father was at work... I think the Co-op replaced it with stamps, although on further reflection I think pink stamps may have been "Fine Fare" or some such long-forgotten grocery chain. Green Shield eventually dominated: petrol stations would advertise quadruple or even quintuple stamps. Eventually people twigged that lower prices were better value than licking stamps and collecting books and swapping them for a coffee grinder....:))

[PeckhamRose]

I am a member of the Co-operative and got my divi in my account recently.

?1.46.

I don't go there often then!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

My father can still remember his Grandma's Co-op number in Glasgow.

[woofmarkthedog]

I lived in the old co-op dairy cottages once.........lovely !

[Sue]

SimonM Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> >

> Eventually people twigged that lower prices were

> better value than licking stamps and collecting

> books and swapping them for a coffee

> grinder....:))

xxxxxxx

Eh? They don't seem to have twigged that with Nectar cards, Tesco Club cards, Boots cards etc etc etc .... !!

[andyxlandells]

everyone may have differeing recolections of their co-op expereince when young due to the fact that until recentley all the co-ops in various parts of the country were run by different organisations

eg in dulwich originally it was probaly part of the south surbiton co-op ( formed from the merger of the Croydon (formed 1887), Bromley and Crays (formed 1882 and 1870) and Penge and Beckenham (formed 1879) Societies.)

and each of these would have offered differet versions of the 'divi' book /different coloured stamps etc

in the 1980's-90s most of the smaller societies merged into the CWS (coop wholesale soc.) or the CRS (coop retail soc)

then these merged into one in in 2001 becomming the CO-OP group in 2007 when they merged with the United Co-operatives( yorkshire based)

they also own the local alldays convienience stores

[Sue]

andyxlandells Wrote:

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> > they also own the local alldays convienience

> stores

xxxxxxxx

Really? I never knew that! How did that come about?

[SimonM]

>>Eh? They don't seem to have twigged that with Nectar cards, Tesco Club cards, Boots cards etc etc etc .... !!<<

Well no.....different generation innit? But stamps were so popular at the time and yet their fall from grace was quite sudden and spectacular as I recall...:))

[Ann]

Went into Somerfields before work today. All the ready meal now have Co-op labels on them, the prices looked very reasonable. Also noticed that there were no prepared sandwiches which makes me think the stock is gradualy being replaced with Co-op brand.

[maria]

They do still sell fairtrade bananas but always run out of them - I know cos I buy them

[Sue]

Ah - I must be going there at the wrong time of day or week or something then, I haven't seen any in there for months!

Or organic veg??