member-owned cooperative not profitable enough

anne elizabeth moore — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:45:02 -0400

I've always been a little mystified by how a member-owned cooperative the size of Ace Hardware can function, although admittedly my experience is based entirely on Fred's Fabulous Fare, the IL State Fair all-meat, all-the-time cooperative food stand where I worked among co-op livin' vegans who changed their names regularly for a few years. But it looks like I won't have to wonder anymore:

“We believe that becoming a traditional corporation is the best path for our retailers and the company,” the Ace President and CEO Ray Griffith says.

But, says one Chicago store owner: “This has huge ramifications for the dealer base. . . "This clearly is a corporate takeover.”

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member-owned cooperative not profitable enough