The Retail Week Awards were held last week at Intercontinental O2 in London, and Central Co-op was proud to attend after being nominated for The Salesforce Responsible Retailer Award for its work with Our Malawi Partnership.
Central Co-op was pleased to share a venue with eventual winners Pets at Home, and it was inspirational to see so many responsible retailers in one space.
Our Malawi Partnership launched on 2nd July 2022 – the 100th International Day of Co-operatives – as an initiative created in collaboration with The Co-operative College, an educational charity dedicated to empowering individuals and communities to build a fairer world, and the Malawi Federation of Co-operatives (MAFECO).
Malawi is one of the world’s poorest counties, with over 70% of the population living below the national poverty line, and Our Malawi Partnership is funded through the sales of a carefully selected range of products in Central Co-op stores, including Macadamia nuts, nut butters, water, rice, tea, and coffee.
Central Co-op will continue its work with Our Malawi Partnership, with the ambition to expand the network to include a greater number of product ranges and additional Co-operative Societies selling from the range to support developments in Malawi. MidCounties Co-op has already joined the initiative this year.
Central Co-op has recently added Revolver Coffee Bags to the line-up to expand the offering of Our Malawi Partnership products for customers, and since 20th March the Society has been raising money for Malawi in the wake of Cyclone Freddy, which has devastated the country.
Since its launch in 1995, the Retail Week Awards have been a benchmark of excellence in the sector, and Central Co-op joined a plethora of retailers celebrated for their innovation, vision, resilience and drive.
