Croydon Co-operative Society

Last updated March 22, 2019

The Croydon Co-operative Society was a cooperative retailer in Croydon and surrounding parts of Surrey, England. In 1918, it became part of the new South Suburban Co-operative Society, now the Co-operative Group.

A cooperative is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise". Cooperatives may include:

Croydon is a large town in south London, England, 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of Charing Cross. The principal settlement in the London Borough of Croydon, it is one of the largest commercial districts outside Central London, with an extensive shopping district and night-time economy.

Surrey is a subdivision of the English region of South East England in the United Kingdom. A historic and ceremonial county, Surrey is also one of the home counties. The county borders Kent to the east, East and West Sussex to the south, Hampshire to the west, Berkshire to the northwest, and Greater London to the northeast.

A co-operative society had been formed in Croydon in 1860, the Croydon Co-operative Industrial Society, with headquarters in Market Street and later at 39 Church Street. However, after several years of good progress, the Society went into voluntary liquidation in March 1874.

A new society was formed in 1887, established at 85 Chesham Road, South Croydon. It first traded at 118 Church Street, then in 1888 moved to 128-130 Church Street and taking over neighbouring 132 in 1897. It was beset by inefficiency and poor practice, and competition from the rival Co-operative Coal Society operating from 1895 to 1902, registered in Northbrook Road. It was able to overcome other competition issues by a series of mergers - the Caterham Co-operative Society in 1906, the Epsom Co-operative Society in 1916 and the Sutton Co-operative Society.

South Croydon in south London is the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon about 1 km in radius, centred on what was the Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is part of the South Croydon (CR2) post town and in the London Borough of Croydon. It is essentially a dormitory suburb for Croydon and London.

Caterham is a town in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valley but rises to equal heights to the south. The town lies close to the A22, 21 miles (34 km) from Guildford and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Croydon, in an upper valley cleft into the dip slope of the North Downs. Caterham on the Hill is above the valley to the west. Due to its proximity to London, Caterham is a commuter town, with small-to-medium-sized businesses of its own but relatively few business/industrial parks. It has some retail and restaurants in Caterham Valley as well as pubs dotted throughout.

Epsom is a market town in Surrey, England, 13.7 miles (22.0 km) south-west of London, between Ashtead and Ewell. The town straddles chalk downland and the upper Thanet Formation. Epsom Downs Racecourse holds The Derby, now a generic name for sports competitions in English-speaking countries. The town also gives its name to Epsom salts, originally extracted from mineral waters there.

In 1907, the Society moved its trading premises to 30 London Road and then in 1914 it began to develop 99 London Road, north of central Croydon, which would later become the headquarters of the South Suburban. Shops were opened in South Norwood and Thornton Heath, and a bakery and stables in Windmill Hill, as well as the shops of the merged societies. In 1917, just prior to merger, it had 7,595 members and 175 employees.

South Norwood district of south east London, England

South Norwood is a district of south east London within the London Borough of Croydon. It borders the London Borough of Bromley. It is located north east of Croydon, and 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross.

Thornton Heath is a district of South London, within the London Borough of Croydon, 7.2 miles (11.6 km) south of Charing Cross.

Key figures in the Croydon Society included Charles Bailey and Albert Gore. Bailey, an engineer, served as President from 1903, taking the society through the merger into the South Suburban and becoming President of the new society until 1938 – 35 years in office in total. Gore served on the board of Croydon and South Suburban for most of the period from the 1890s until 1945, and was a councillor in the town also.

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References

Looking Back..., South East region, Co-operative Wholesale Society Membership & Education Dept., July 1992.
Roffey, Ron (1999). The Co-operative Way: The Origins and Progress of the Royal Arsenal and South Suburban Co-operative Societies. Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd, South East Region. ISBN 0-85195-256-9.

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Coordinates: 51°22′51″N0°06′20″W / 51.3809°N 0.1056°W / 51.3809; -0.1056

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