CO-OPERATIVE SPOTLIGHT NEWSLETTER FOR January 26, 2021
WORLD’S TOP 300 CO-OPERATIVES HAD A TURNOVER OF $2.14TN IN 2018
Eight Canadian Co-ops, including Federated Co-operatives Limited and
The Co-operators, make the list once again.
The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) has released the 2020 edition of the World Co-operative Monitor based on 2018 data. The monitor shows that the world’s 300 largest co-operatives had a combined turnover of US$2.14tn in 2018, an increase from the $2.03tn reported for 2017.
Eight co-ops in Canada made the list, ranked by turnover:
Desjardins at #30 (2017 = #29)
Federated Co-operatives Limited, #57 (#63)
Agropur #100 (#97)
La Co-op fédérée (now Sollio Groupe) #104 (#100)
The Co-operators #144 (#139)
Wawanesa Mutual #157 (#163)
SSQ Financial Group (now Beneva) #202 (#201)
La Capitale #212 (#217)
In the top 10 financial services list, Desjardins ranks #5 (2017 = #6) based on turnover. The largest co-operative in the world based on turnover is Groupe Crédit Agricole from France.
The sectors with the most organizations present in the Top 300 are agriculture and food (104 enterprises) and insurance (101) followed by wholesale and retail trade (57). Based on turnover, the insurance sector covers 34.5% of the total turnover ($758.54bn), followed by agriculture ($532.11bn or 24.2% ) and wholesale and retail trade ($459.36bn or 20.9%).
The monitor explores the economic and social impact of the largest co-operatives and mutuals worldwide, providing a ranking of the Top 300, sector rankings based on 2018 data, and an analysis of responses to two global challenges: Covid-19 and climate change.
Co-op shoppers generously purchased Give Cards this past holiday season, supporting Red Cross Canada and its emergency efforts across Western Canada.
Thanks to this support, The Co-op Retailing System on behalf of its member co-ops is donating $200,000 to the Red Cross.
WELCOME SHERNETTE SHAW-CLARKE TO SCA
Through the CreateAction program of the Canadian CED Network, SCA is thrilled to welcome Shernette Shaw-Clarke to work with us into July.
Shernette joined SCA as our Youth Education and Network Coordinator in January 2021.
She began her career as an educator where she gained unparalleled experience in developing impactful and engaging educational resources for youths and adult ESL learners. Her core belief is; whatever you do, give it 100% especially when no one is watching.
As the Youth Education and Network Coordinator, Shernette seeks to promote the co-operative model as a mechanism for community and economic development. Her portfolio includes developing and promoting co-operative focused educational videos and learning materials for youths. Also, facilitating the establishment of a youth network in Saskatchewan, focused on co-operatives, community economic development and social innovation.
Shernette earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics with a minor in Philosophy from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica and a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Saskatchewan. Her accomplishments, skills and educational background reflect a commitment to serving her community.
Outside of her professional life, you are certain to find Shernette either writing creatively, challenging her husband at a game of Bananagrams or watching movies with her best friend.
STRATEGIC CO-OPERATIVE LEADERSHIP
WINTER WEBINAR SERIES
Registration is open now for the Strategic Co-operative Leadership Winter Webinar Series, presented by the International Centre for Co-operative Management.
February 10, 2:30-4pm AST (1:30pm EST): How Inter-cooperation Strengthens Co-operatives, Economies, and Communities facilitated by Karen Miner, Cory Munden, Kelly Storie and Colette Lebel and hosted by Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada.
February 11, 12pm AST (11am EST): A Broader History of Co-operation: from Europe to the World with Nazik Beishenaly.
March 24, 12pm AST (11am EST): Digging into the Global Research on Youth and Co-ops with Jeffrey Moxom, Simren Singh and Melvin Khabenje.
Western Nations is a growing network of independent, locally owned Indigenous gas bars fuelled by Co-op.
Developed in consultation with Indigenous groups, Western Nations is modern and unique, relevant to all customers and respectful of Indigenous culture. The brand and supporting gas bar program are unique in their focus on re-investing in the Indigenous communities where Western Nations gas bars are based.
Co-op supplies and supports independent gas bars in Indigenous communities and manages the new Western Nations brand. (The Western Nations brand can be applied to existing locations or new construction.)
While communities will maintain ownership of their locations and make their own decisions, Co-op is available to provide products and services support.
Thousands of Canadian businesses closed their doors for good in 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic, but few commercial casualties attracted more attention than MEC, the popular Vancouver-based retailer that sold outdoor-recreation gear.
Canadian Running Magazine described MEC’s sale last September to a US private-equity firm as the “death of an ideal,” and numerous reports used language more fitting for the passing of a close relative. A “Save MEC” campaign sprang up, attracting more than 140,000 signatures as of October. In the end, none of that was enough.
But is the model fatally flawed? Unfairly or not, as one of the country’s largest co-operatives—at the time of its sale, it boasted over 5 million members—MEC’s failure has raised uncomfortable questions about whether the retailer’s co-op ethic played a role in its demise. In an October op-ed, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson called MEC a “socialist regime” and alleged the company was done in by inflated wages, tolerance for inferior work, and employees kept around, in large part, because of diversity quotas. These missteps, he argued, added up to “a recipe for competitive failure.”
In a recent piece published in The Conversation, Marc-André Pigeon, a public-policy professor at the University of Saskatchewan, argued that MEC also “built a leadership team that lacked any obvious understanding of co-operatives and fostered a culture that started to see member involvement as a problem rather than a strength.” In short, MEC was trying to cut itself loose from its co-operative identity.
MANAGING RISKS AND CLIENTS:
WHAT IS THE NEW REALITY
In this podcast, host Silvia Brudar and Concentra Bank executive panelists Philippe Sarfati, Ben Douangprachanh and Ryan Graham discuss the shift to new ways of working, banking and investing in the wake of COVID-19.
A new year brings a new CEO for SaskCentral. January 4th was the first day for Shawn Good, taking the helm from Keith Nixon who's retiring at the end of February. Find out more about him HERE.
Congratulations and welcome, Shawn!
CAN THE CO-OP MODEL HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES COMPETE WITH UBER AND AMAZON?
Toronto-based Direct Co-ops has ambitions plans to launch a co-op marketplace app, driver-owned ride-hailing service and much more.
Direct Co-ops (then known as 416Direct) was founded mostly as a buying group. Business owners could band together to group purchase items like coffee, light bulbs and cleaning supplies at a wholesale rate up to 50 per cent cheaper.
Group buying is still a major part of Direct Co-ops, and it forms the basis of the company’s new Direct B2B app. There, businesses can group purchase and nominate and vote on what to buy, as well as other collective pursuits. But it’s one part of a much bigger vision.
“Helping small business joint purchase is really only half of the problem,” says CEO A.J. Attia. “The next thing is giving them the same convenience to retail like the big players do.”
Direct Co-ops has 25,000 members with chapters throughout Canada and the United States, the UK, Italy and Peru. There are multiple individual co-ops and unions using it, representing millions of people worldwide. Direct Co-ops is about to make a big push in Toronto, reaching out widely across the city to independent businesses and BIAs, such as Kensington Market (shown in photo above).
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Saskatchewan Co-operative Association (SCA) is the apex organization for the province’s 850 co-operatives and credit unions. SCA is incorporated as a community service co-operative and is owned by its members, many of which are co-op federations or associations.
On behalf of the Saskatchewan co-operative community, SCA works to support and promote the co-operative model for community and economic development.
Eight co-ops in Canada made the list, ranked by turnover: 
Co-op shoppers generously purchased Give Cards this past holiday season, supporting Red Cross Canada and its emergency efforts across Western Canada.
Through the 
In this podcast, host Silvia Brudar and Concentra Bank executive panelists Philippe Sarfati, Ben Douangprachanh and Ryan Graham discuss the shift to new ways of working, banking and investing in the wake of COVID-19.
Toronto-based Direct Co-ops has ambitions plans to launch a co-op marketplace app, driver-owned ride-hailing service and much more. 
