Following its takeover of Somerfield, The Co-operative Group is gearing up for its biggest-ever Fairtrade Fortnight (22 February – 7 March), which could boost Fairtrade sales by £40m per annum.
At the time of the acquisition, Peter Marks, group chief executive, promised The Co-op’s commitment to ethical trading would be extended to the Somerfield estate and now, for the first time, Somerfield stores will be championing Fairtrade, along with thousands of Co-operative stores across the UK.
In 2008, as part of its Food Ethical Policy, The Co-operative became the first retailer to convert its entire own-brand hot drinks category of tea, coffee and hot chocolate to Fairtrade.
The Co-operative, now the fifth biggest food retailer, has taken this commitment further by introducing its Fairtrade hot drinks range into Somerfield stores, along with many other Fairtrade lines as part of the integration process.
Somerfield stores already converted to The Co-op are stocking the retailer’s entire range of branded and own-brand products, including its extensive Fairtrade grocery range, which covers everything from chocolate to fruit and nuts, cereals, hot and cold drinks, cakes and a market-leading wine range.
The Co-op’s latest move makes Fairtrade accessible to millions more shoppers, and will benefit hundreds of thousands of growers in some of the world’s poorest countries, including Malawi.
‘The Big Swap’ is the main theme for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, to encourage people to switch their usual products for ones carrying the Fairtrade Mark to help producers in developing countries.
