The Co-operative Food should lower prices and offer more locally-sourced produce, according to a major new consumer research survey released today.
Over half of the retailer's shoppers said lower prices(56 per cent) and locally-sourced products (46 per cent) were the most likely incentives for them to shop more with the business.
The long-awaited Have Your Say survey, which is set to inform the group’s three-year turnaround strategy, also found that the majority of respondents (82 per cent) think the Co-operative should 'champion issues that affect local communities'.
Carried out by YouGov and using the opinions of more than 180,000 people, the study found that 86 per cent of respondents “feel favourable” towards the company, while 71 per cent feel that “it tries to do the right thing”.
However, less than a third (32 per cent) of those asked believe the Co-operative offers higher-quality products than its competitors, while only just over half (55 per cent) said that membership card holders can influence how the business is run more than other loyalty card holders.
Chief executive Richard Pennycook said that the findings of Have Your Say provides “a wealth of information and insight” that will inform future strategy.
“The response to Have Your Say was overwhelming and the findings give us a great deal of encouragement and demonstrate the resilience of the Co-operative brand,” he said.
Two thirds (63 per cent) of respondents said they were not aware that the Co-operative donates to the Co-operative Party, and almost three quarters said they did not think big businesses should provide financial support to political parties.
Pennycook added: “The Co-operative has come through a difficult period and we are now rebuilding the organisation, focused on delivering on our commitment to champion a better way of doing business for our customers and their communities with real change on the ground.”
Peter Kellner, president of YouGov said: “The strength of the response to Have Your Say demonstrates the scale of the opportunity for The Co-operative Group. Clearly 2013 was an extremely challenging year but despite all of the difficulties, the public still believe in the brand.
“There is widespread support for the Group to reconnect with local communities – if it gets that right, it can rebuild its reputation for social responsibility and business competence.”
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