Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
CWS Ltd
Parallel form(s) of name
- Co-operative Wholesale Society Limited
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1844-present
History
The co-operative movement was started by a small group of workers in Rochdale in 1844. In 1863 a number of co-op societies in the north of England came together and came to be known as the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS) from 1872. From early on the organisation manufactured a wide range of products to be sold in Co-op stores. They had a number of clothing factories including men's tailoring. It is now known as the Co-operative Group, the trading name of the Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd.