Northern Co-operative Society

Aberdeen is Scotland's 3rd largest city

Northern Co-operative Society Limited (abbreviated to Norco), previously named Northern Co-operative Company Limited, was a local consumer co-operative trading in Aberdeen, Scotland, from 1861 to 1993.^[1][2] It operated supermarkets and other businesses throughout Aberdeenshire, and employed 2000 people in 1992.

It was put into the hands of a receiver for liquidation in 1993, as a result of financial difficulties that The Guardian newspaper attributed to "an over-ambitious building and development programme" and failed attempts to dispose of the entire business as a going concern, despite the successful sale of its dairy, five pharmacies, and then several supermarkets to Argyll Stores and the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS).^[1][2]

History

Scottish Co-op sold Norco's Berryden superstore to J Sainsbury, still as a going concern, in 2000.^[3][4][5]

Norco was formed in 1861 as Northern Co-operative Company, by two committees of Aberdeen residents who planned to follow the example of the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society.^[1] The first shop was a grocery business at 51 Gallowgate, opened in July that year.^[1] The original company had a fixed capital of £1000, but in 1917, it converted into Northern Co-operative Society.^[1]

The Society's headquarters were in a large building on Loch Street, which contained the company's offices as well as an arcade-style shopping area. It was described in 2000 as "like Convent Garden (sic) – a delightful, quaint area at the centre of the city where people could stroll" by Connie Leith, head of the Ferryhill Heritage Society.^[6]

Norco House, a large department store which replaced the Loch Street building, was opened in George Street in 1970, less than 100 feet from the original building.^[1] The trading name of Norco was soon adopted by the entire co-operative.^[1] The "space-age" four storey Norco House department store was later bought, refurbished and operated by the John Lewis employee-owned chain.^[6] The old Loch Street building remained empty and slowly deteriorated until its eventual demolition in 1986.

In 1977, Norco opened a 54,000 square feet (5,000 m²) flagship superstore in the Berryden district of Aberdeen.^[1][3][7] The Berryden store was sold to the Scottish Co-op in 1993 immediately before the receivership, and operated by that co-operative for seven years.^[1][7][8]

In April 1992, Norco declared a loss of £7 million, and the chief executive, Robin Pollock, resigned.^[1][7] Emergency measures included a massive sell-off of businesses, and a pay freeze.^[1] Kennerty Dairies (since bought by Robert Wiseman Dairies) bought Norco's Berryden dairy, and Argyll Group bought supermarkets in Banchory, Elgin, Ellon and Westhill.^[7] Finally, in 1993, Norco approached Scottish Co-op with a view to a rescue merger, but the latter organization declined the request.^[1][2]

Operations and co-operative movement

Norco was previously noted as the only large consumer co-operative in the UK not to be a member of the Scottish or English Co-operative Wholesale Societies.

It employed 2000 people in 1992, when the financial problems became apparent, and on going into receivership in June 1993, it had 800 employees.^[2]

Its trading area included the Aberdeenshire and Moray towns of Banchory, Elgin, Ellon, Kemnay, Inverurie, Port Elphinstone and Westhill.^[1][7] At its peak it had branches and departments throughout the city of Aberdeen.^[1] Since the demise of Norco, the tradition of consumer co-operation in Aberdeenshire has been continued or revived by three southern organizations: Scotmid Co-operative, Lothian, Borders & Angus Co-operative and Scottish Co-op (a retail division of CWS, now the Co-operative Group.)

References

Further reading

• "NORCO - Records of the Northern Co-operative Society". Aberdeen City Archives. 
• Seumas Milne (1993-06-18). "Scottish co-op calls in receiver". The Guardian.