PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Messrs PLYMOUTH AND SOUTH WEST CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY Ltd
'At Christmastide in the year of grace 1859, in a house then known as Number 14 Tin Street, there dwelt one, Charles Goodanew, who combined the business of shoemaking with the selling of newspapers, periodicals, pens, ink, and paper.' Thus began the story of Co-operation in the Three Towns, as published for the Co-operative Congress Souvenir of 1910. It sounded like something from a novel by Charles Dickens and the reality certainly was something from his era. Poverty was everywhere, there was little guaranteed employment, few children received even the most basic education, and mothers had to make do and mend in clothing those children. And food was both scarce and expensive. But salvation was at hand. Up north, in the county of Lancashire, a band of men had got together to buy and sell everyday goods at an honest and fair price. In order to do so they had formed, in 1844, a co-operative movement. So successful had this been in such a short time that one of those men, Mr George Jacob Holyoake, wrote their story, "The History of the Rochdale Pioneers". A copy of that book was in the hands of Mr Goodanew and so impressed was he by the story that when two of his friends called that Christmas he made sure that they heard all about it. On January 3rd 1860 another meeting was held in a workshop in Ebrington Street and the eighteen men present resolved to form the local Society and each paid an entrance fee of one shilling. Several more meetings followed during which a Board of Directors was formed, the officers were chosen, and the organisation given the name of the Plymouth Mutual Co-operative Society. Read more about the foundation ..... However, when the business was registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Partnership Act 1852 in October 1860 it was found that Mr J Tidd Pratt, the Registrar of Friendly Societies, had changed the title to the Plymouth Mutual Co-operative and Industrial Society Ltd. Over the next 56 years the business prospered and grew so that by the early 1890s the Co-op were selling groceries, coal, meat, bread, footwear, drapery items, providing tailoring services, offering mortgages, and supplying fresh milk from its own cows. The biggest development in the business came in 1894 when the large Central Premises was opened in Frankfort Street. With this new facility came the start of the Furnishing Department. Only a couple of years later a huge extension was opened fronting Courtenay Street. Read more about the Central Premises ..... This was followed by an equally massive development at Peverell, when a Model Bakery, Laundry and Preserve Works were opened in quick succession between 1906 and 1915. From April 1st 1916 the name of the business was changed to the more simpler Plymouth Co-operative Society Ltd. But the growth continued apace, with new departments for Motor Coach hire, pharmaceutical goods and ladies hairdressing. Unfortunately in the air raids of March and April 1941 the Central Premises in Frankfort Street were destroyed and so was the large premises in Devonport's Fore Street. New premises were opened at Derry's Cross in 1952 but the Devonport area was never rebuilt. In the aftermath of that destruction, the Lee Moor Co-operative Society, the Plympton & District Co-operative Society Ltd, the Cornwood & District Co-operative Society Ltd and the Dartmouth Co-operative Society Ltd were amalgamated into the Plymouth Co-operative Society, so much so that from April 1st 1969 the title of the business was changed to the Plymouth & South Devon Co-operative Society Ltd. Thirty years later the title had to be changed again to reflect further expansion as smaller Societies throughout the South West were taken into the fold. Thus the company became the Plymouth & South West Co-operative Society. During 2009 it was announced that the Plymouth & South West Co-operative Society is to merge into the Co-operative Group, based in Manchester. The headquarters in Plymouth will be closed in September 2010 and existing food stores will be rebranded by December 2010. In addition, the flagship Derry's Department Store at the junction of Royal Parade/Raleigh Street and Courtenay Street has been sold to Messrs Vergo Retail Ltd, whose registered office is at number 4 Renshaw Street, Liverpool, Merseyside. As this means that the Plymouth and South West Co-operative Society Ltd will cease to trade at some point and as both the new owners are not Plymouth businesses, any further developments to Co-op shops in Plymouth will be outside the scope of Plymouth Data. Principal Sources:
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