Cooperatives in the United Kingdom are preparing to host the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)’s 2025 General Assembly, scheduled for July 2 in Manchester. The meeting is part of a four-day celebration of the cooperative movement in the region, which began in 1844 when a group of 28 artisans working in cotton mills in Rochdale, England pooled their resources to access flour and other basic goods at an affordable price.
Today, there are more than 7,000 cooperatives in the United Kingdom, with 200,000 employees and 15 million members, making up more than one-fifth of the population of the UK. Rochdale, just ten miles outside Manchester, is steeped in almost two centuries of rich cooperative history.
“This year, [the assembly] holds special significance because of the timing and the location,” ICA President Ariel Guarco said. “I invite all our members to share in these meaningful days—including the International Day of Cooperatives and the International Year of Cooperatives—in a place where the modern cooperative enterprise was born almost two centuries ago.”
“I am so excited and proud that the UK and Greater Manchester will welcome the global delegation in July 2025,” said Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK. “We are really excited to be hosting during the International Year of Co-operatives and we have a special program lined up.”
The Co-op Group, which is co-hosting the week of festivities with Co-operatives UK, said co-ops in the region are still guided by the cooperative values and principles created in Rochdale. “Cooperatives have a vital role to play to demonstrate a different and fairer way of doing business and most importantly delivering value and better outcomes for our members and society,” said Shirine Khoury-Haq, Co-op Group’s chief executive.
Owned by its 6.2 million members, the Co-op Group is one of the world’s largest consumer cooperatives. The British co-op operates 2,300 grocery stores and operates across several industries, including food, insurance and funeral services.
The week’s events will include visits to cooperatives in Manchester, tours of the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, a festival of cooperation and more. On July 4 and 5, Co-operatives UK will hold its national Co-op Congress at Rochdale Town Hall, with a special focus on the International Year of Cooperatives. The event attracts leading figures from cooperatives, politics and journalism. July 5 is also the International Day of Cooperatives, observed globally.