Innovative Consumer Co-operatives

The Rise and Fall of Berkeley

Greg Patmore

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781138614109
• eBook ISBN: 9780429874925
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

Consumer co-operatives provide a different approach to organizing business through their ideals of member ownership and democratic practice. Every co-operative member has an equal vote regardless of his or her own personal capital investment. The co-operative movement can also be an important force in promoting development and self-sufficiency in poorer areas, particularly in non-industrialised countries.

This book explores in depth the fortunes of the Berkeley Consumer Co-operative, which became the largest consumer co-operative in the United States with 116, 000 members in 1984 and viewed nationally as a leader in innovative retail practices and a champion of consumer rights. The Berkeley Consumer Co-operative is promoted by both supporters and opponents of the co-operative business model as a significant example of what can go wrong with the co-operatives.

This book will provide the first in depth analysis of the history of the Berkeley Co-operative using its substantial but little used archives and oral histories to explore what the Berkeley experience means for the co-operative business model. The specific chapters relating to Berkeley will be organised around particular themes to highlight the issues relating to the co-operative business model and the local context of Berkeley. The themes relate to developments in Berkeley and the Bay Area in terms of the economy, politics and the retail environment; the management of the Berkeley co-operative, looking at governance, financial management and strategic decisions; relationship of management with members and employees; and finally, the relationship of the Berkeley Co-operative with the community.

The core message of the book is that it is not inevitable that consumer co-operatives fail, but that the story of Berkeley story can provide insights that can strengthen the co-operative business model and minimise failures on the scale of Berkeley occurring in the future.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of Illustrations
• List of Tables
• Acknowledgments
• List of Abbreviations
• 1 Consumer Co-operatives: Theory and Practice
• 2 International Consumer Co-operative Movement Before 1993
• 3 Consumer Co-operatives in the US before 1993
• 4 The Origins and Early Years of the Berkeley Co-operative until 1947
• 5 Gaining a Foothold: 1947–1961
• 6 Politics and Expansion: 1962–1971
• 7 Instability and Final Expansion: 1972–1980
• 8 Chaos and Collapse: 1981–1993
• 9 Conclusion
• Index