YOUR caring, sharing Co-op, the TV ads said.

It was a jingle familiar to thousands of families, who shopped at the Co-op, then collected their ‘divi’.

It had all begun in 1844 when 28 Lancashire working men set up a store in Toad Lane, Rochdale, selling wholesome goods at rock-bottom prices.

Each put money in and invited other people to invest as well. Profits were ploughed back into the store, and the surplus handed out as a half-yearly dividend.

The cornerstone of the co-operative movement was democracy. If you invested in a society, no matter what the amount, you became a member and you had a vote. Big investors had the same – one vote.

By the 1880s, there were more than 1,000 co-operative societies, and a Co-operative Union was created to link them all.

Thousands of people grew up as Co-op members, spent money in the stores, collected their ‘divi’ and elected local directors to run the society and its shops.

It was in the 1950s that change began. The overwhelmingly working class membership was earning good money for the first time and wanted to spend it.

Big chain stores were cashing in on the boom, building supermarkets and department stores. The Co-op had thousands of corner shops, often dark, cramped and tatty.

The Co-op decided it had to follow the crowd. Large stores were opened, including one in Queen Street, Oxford, and unprofitable corner shops were closed.

The change of policy led to a big debate – should the Co-op chase business in a big way like its rivals or stay small? The debate was no more intense than in Oxford.

The Oxford Radical Co-operators’ Group was at the forefront of the opposition, accusing the movement of losing its ethical roots.

The group grew out of a meeting in October 1979 when the Oxford and Swindon Co-operative Society board was asked to confirm or deny rumours that it planned to sell its store in Cowley Road, Oxford. The board admitted it had already sold it.

The group argued that the pursuit of maximum profit and turnover should not be the Co-op’s main priorities.

It said: “Superstores leave the old, the poor and the less mobile without access to shops. Public transport does not go to ring road sites and the use of private cars for shopping, when previously it was possible to shop on foot, is an irresponsible waste of natural resources.

“We oppose the manipulation of consumers to maximise turnover – phrases like ‘March madness’ or ‘Spring fling’ patronise consumers, imply they don’t know how to manage their money and encourage people to spend on things they don’t need or want.

“The Co-op should concentrate on selling quality, long-lasting, sensibly packaged, non-energy wasting and resource consuming products, not junk.”

But Stewart Wallace, chief executive of the Oxford and Swindon Co-op at the time, said: “Many of our most vociferous democrats believe we should keep all our small shops open and stay out of superstores and supermarkets. That is absolute nonsense.

“If a shop shows no prospect of improving its trade, it’s inevitable it’s going to have to go. Corner shops rarely make a profit.

“You always have this argument because we feel a social obligation to the community. But it’s got to be balanced with economic necessity.

We’ve got to move into shopping precincts, city centre sites and superstores to make enough profit to subsidise even some small shops staying open.”

n Next week – how it all began in Oxford.