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Birmingham (Industrial) Cooperative Society Shops

This Branch 100 photo is obviously taken before 1971 - old currency pricing. However, the low prices suggest it might be earlier than the nineteen seventies. Notable are the days quoted for Double Stamps. Tuesday was family allowance day and Friday was then usually pay day and usually paid in cash - few straight into the bank payments then.
People knew what they had to spend in those days so were less likely to accrue debt.
 
BCS...70 years of Service...(1881-1951)...Chapter 1

The author is describing the state of affairs in 1951.

The fact that the Society is not only the third largest society in Great Britain, but also in the world, attracts visitors of many races, creeds and colours from countries and both hemispheres to see for themselves this outstanding example of co-operative principles in practice.

The visitor is taken on a tour of inspection all the societies departments and branches throughout the city, and the guide answers questions...

It has been the policy of the management committee for the past 20 years or more, to provide branches comprising grocery, butchery and green grocery shops at intervals of about half a mile along all main thoroughfares. In the areas between these radiating thoroufares the same principle has being applied, so that members of the society have to travel only a reasonable distance, and at that the most no more than 3/4 of a mile, to buy the groceries, provisions, meat, vegetables, and the fruit needed by their families.

At present 136 grocery shops.....the Grocery Dept is the largest of 18 Depts...employing 1,400 people....first multiple store in Birmingham to introduce a self-service system...

Grocery was the first Dept...butchery introduced in 1905...1921 green grocery....out of 90 butcher’s shops 80 opened after WWI....49 green grocery shops since 1921...

In the more important suburban areas the Society has introduced Drapery and women’s clothing; men’s closing; boots and shoes; furniture and hardware; chemists as well as shops receiving dry-cleaning orders.

We have for some years been replacing horse-drawn vehicles by electrically propelled vehicles, particularly for milk, bread and laundry services. Even now we have more than 560 horses, and in fact, the Society is the largest user of horses in the city.

The BCS Dairy is one of the largest in the country and delivers to approx 56% of the population of Birmingham .......for the weekend bread 90,000 loaves are baked early on Saturday morning for delivery to customers....our boast is that we can virtually supply all commodities, articles and services necessary from the cradle to the grave.

(Buildings to uniform plan)...Between the two world wars the societies works department under took direction the practically all branch premises, as well as a large part of the construction work of new productive factories directed within that period.
 
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High Street branch. The Co-op occupied both sides of High Street. The building further along to the right must also have been the Co-op as it has a banner across the building announcing "Double Dividend". Don't have a date for this one. I remember that clock on the building in the 1960s/70s.

There is a thread dedicated to the High Street Co-op shops here https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/co-op-high-st-bham.17277/

Viv.

image.jpeg
 
All these busy young ladies working at their comptometers in the offices at the Birmingham Central offices back in 1935 making sure that everyone got their correct dividend.

City Central Co-op Dividend Office 1935.jpg
 
Back in 1916 the High Street store had 22 pay points where all payments were taken and sent to the cash office on the first floor via pneumatic communication tubes which would then issue a receipt and your change. Below is a drawing of that cash office in 1916.

City Central Co-op Cash Office.jpg
 
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As I think I said some time back on this thread, Birmingham Industrial Co-operative Society first opened a shop in 1881 at 14 Great Francis Street, but by 1884 bigger premises were needed so they moved a few hundred yards up the street to the corner of Newdegate Street and they named the new premises No1 as can be seen on many photos on this forum.

I have searched and I am unable to find a photo of the original shop as a Co-op shop but I am able to show a couple of images of number 14 in later life, after the Co-op moved it became a post office (see photo). I've also added a photo that locates it better, shortly before demolition in 1966, it's the last shop before the road drops back to accommodate the weighbridge for the coal wharf on Pitney Street.

View attachment 118771 View attachment 118772

There is a picture of the first shop from the BCS 70 years Service booklet, and an example of the opposition they faced.


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Phil has mentioned the move in 1884 to the corner of Francis Street and Newdegate Street.

The booklet adds that, with later additions and extensions, it continued to serve as the Society’s central premises for 32 years.
 
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