Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society
Quick Summary
The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, founded in 1844 in Rochdale, England, is a foundational organization in the history of the cooperative movement. This British organization established a set of principles, known as the Rochdale Principles, which guided its operations and have been widely adopted globally.123
Key principles included:
* Open membership
* Democratic control
* No religious or political discrimination
* Sales at prevailing market prices
* Distribution of profits (dividends) to members based on their purchases14
These principles emphasized the benefit of consumers and laid the groundwork for cooperative marketing and retail systems, where profits are returned to the customers. The society's first shop is now the Rochdale Pioneers Museum.3142
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…Britain in 1844, with the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society The society created a set of organizational and working rules that have been widely adopted. They included open membership, democratic control, no religious or political discrimination, sales at prevailing market prices, and the setting aside of some earnings for education.
Read More…Britain in 1844, with the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society The society created a set of organizational and working rules that have been widely adopted. They included open membership, democratic control, no religious or political discrimination, sales at prevailing market prices, and the setting aside of some earnings for education.
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Rochdale…services—with the founding of the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society in 1844. In 1931 its first shop, in Toad Lane, became the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, which underwent major redevelopment in 2010–12. In 2011 the General Assembly of the International Co-operative Alliance designated Rochdale as the world capital of the cooperative movement.
Read More…services—with the founding of the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society in 1844. In 1931 its first shop, in Toad Lane, became the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, which underwent major redevelopment in 2010–12. In 2011 the General Assembly of the International Co-operative Alliance designated Rochdale as the world capital of the cooperative movement.
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