Created: 1844
Where: Toad Lane, Rochdale
Scale: The model for an international movement

The modern consumer co-operative movement began with the establishment of the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, a collective of 28 workers coming together to establish a shop to sell affordable goods to their community.

To banish the memory of similar projects that had failed in the past, the group dictated the Rochdale Principles - a set of guidelines and standards designed to ensure stability and shared benefits across the group.

Their initial modest success was followed by expansion across the region, and the national and international co-operative movement flourished through the adoption of the Rochdale model - Toad Lane, the site of the first shop, was visited by guests from Spain to Japan during the 1860s and 70s.

The principles of openness and anti-discrimination set down by those first pioneers are still upheld today by modern co-operative organisations – a testament to the enduring strength and progressive nature of their ideals.