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Using the word "co-operative" does have issues which is probably one of the reasons the Group has reverted to trading as 'Co-op'. To reach the number of 7000 in Britain Paul must be including worker co-ops as well as consumer co-ops. These are two very different business models. The Co-operative Group, its predecessors and its fellow members of the CRTG who follow the Rochdale system were established as consumer co-ops. The biggest and best known worker or employee co-op is John Lewis who more correctly use the word Partnership. Most other employee co-ops in the U.K. are very small operations. This difficulty of definition has of course been compounded by the recent history of the Co-operative Bank which is certainly no longer a co-operative. Incidentally there is a co-op in the south of England which does franchise stores under the 'Welcome' brand.