Co-op named Responsible Retailer of the Year

The Co-operative Group has been named Responsible Retailer of the Year for the third year running in the prestigious Oracle Retail Week Awards, which recognise the very best in UK retailing.

The judges described the group as an outstanding business, whose breadth of initiatives and depth of commitment to being a responsible business meant The Co-op stood out from the rest of the shortlist, made up of Asda, B&Q, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco. One judge said The Co-op is "streets ahead of anyone else in this field."

Highlights of Co-operative activity which impressed the judges in 2009 included the launch of Plan Bee to reverse the decline of the British bee population, work towards the creation of new marine reserves to help protect UK fish stocks, and working with WWF to focus on the environmental and social impact of tar sands extraction as part of its toxic fuels campaign.

Ongoing initiatives also showed real progress according to the judges - carrier bag use is down 60% at Co-operative Food stores and its higher-welfare Elmwood standard has been extended to all fresh and frozen chicken. The group's ongoing and growing commitment to Fairtrade was also recognised.

Peter Marks, group chief executive, The Co-operative Group, said: "These awards recognise the very best in UK retailing, so it is a tremendous achievement to win at this event, but to win this particular accolade three years in succession is incredible."

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