Unicorn Grocery - A Workers Co-operative Britta Werner of Unicorn Grocery Co-operative Ways Forward Conference January 2014

1. Unicorn Grocery
a workers co-operative
Britta Werner

2. About Unicorn Grocery
• Wholefood grocery shop
located in South
Manchester
• Sells fresh organic fruit
and veg and over 3,000
different lines of grocery
and non-food items
• Average customers a
week 5,500 in 2013 and
Average weekly sales
£105,000

3. Our model
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•
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Direct purchasing
Competitive pricing
Bulk buying
Concentrating on
wholefood, encouraging
cooking from scratch
• As local as possible,
organic if possible,
fairtrade

4. Our structure
• All directors are workers
• No elected management
committee
• Weekly and fortnightly
meetings, larger
decisions every 4 month.
• All decisions are reached
by consensus

5. Why worker co-operative?
• More efficient and
effective to have less
hierarchy and have all
members as employers,
e.g. for strategic planning
• Employee engagement
• Trust, good
communication, fair
decision-making