Client
The Co-operative Group

Design Consultancy
Pentagram (working with John McConnell
Leah Speakman
0207229 3477
speakman@pentagram.co.uk
www.pentagram.co.uk

The Challenge
The UK Co-operative Movement consists of 35 individual and independent retail societies, all of which are member-owned. The Co-operative Group, the largest of these societies, has an annual turnover of £8billion (Euro11.7billion), with retail interests in food, travel, pharmacy, legal, funeral and financial services, representing 60% of the Movement’s high street presence. Each society trades under the ‘Co-op’ name but there is no consistency in branding or presentation, and consumers are often unaware of the brand or business linkages. For many consumers and staff, the Co-op name no longer had power or meaning, so in 2001 a group of societies joined together with the aim of creating one national brand.

The Brief
Pentagram was briefed to create a new brand identity that would communicate ‘Co-operativeness’ in its broadest sense, leveraging the brand’s heritage to position it as a modern, credible and ethical brand. The new identity would have to sit comfortably with members’ issues and interests and be rolled out effectively through all manifestations (from signage to corporate communications) across 6,500 outlets. Sub-brands for the five individual businesses needed to work with the master brand, and a complementary identity for the Co-operative Movement also had to be created.

The Design
Reverting to the organisations full name – The Co-operative, rather than ‘Co-op’ – and introducing ‘The’ into the logotype invests the brand identity with meaning, presence and authority. The logotype can also be used to emphasise key ethical brand messages and better communicates the structural nature of the organisation. Each of the five businesses now has a straightforward description, and a visual architecture ensures the master brand is always dominant and presentation is always consistent.

The Results
The new identity was piloted in September 2005 and the roll-out is ongoing. Pilot stores are outperforming stores with the old identity: food stores with the new brand have seen an 8.7% uplift in customer numbers compared to the previous year, while the old identity stores have seen only a 2% uplift. A new style of own-brand food packaging was launched in January 2007 across two food ranges as well as milk products, and among these the premium ‘Truly Irresistible’ range has seen a 228% increase in sales year on year, with a value of £86million (Euro126.5million).

Silver
Corporate / Brand Identity – Design and implementation costs over £100,000