More than just a sponsor: the Co-op goes live

At first glance, Co-op Live may look like your traditional tie-up between brand and entertainment venue. But don’t be fooled. Unlike other partnerships, Co-op’s name isn’t simply stamped above the door before being roundly ignored by punters.

The retailer has been involved in the planning of the Manchester-based venue – the biggest indoor arena in the UK, with a capacity of 23,500 people – since being announced as naming rights partner in 2020.

Despite a tricky opening phase, in which performers cancelled and postponed their shows, the venue is fully now up and running. One thing is clear: The Co-op brand and its values are reflected throughout – through food concessions, sustainability commitments and exclusive perks for Co-op members.

For Co-op commercial manager Helen Kerfoot, the latter is particularly crucial. “Co-op Live is the biggest opportunity we’ve got to evolve and diversify our membership platform while championing our products and services to consumers,” she says. Indeed, one of the key perks – Co-op members get first access to pre-sale tickets – has already gone down a storm.

All this has helped Co-op to sign up 90,000 new members since the first pre-sale last August, moving the group closer to its eight million target by 2030. The draw has been fuelled by big-name performers, including Elbow, Liam Gallagher and Stevie Nicks.

Once fans get inside the venue, the influence of the Co-op is apparent. Most notably, through the food offer, which allows Co-op members to take advantage of member pricing on own-label lines.

“The food and drink offer at gigs is notoriously a very second thought – you’re lucky if you get some nachos and cheesy sauce,” says Co-op senior product development manager Kevin Sargent. “In this venue, food has been front and centre of the thinking.”

Overall, there are 32 food and drink concessions, of which five are Co-op branded: three convenience offers and two hot food outlets called Co-op Kitchen.

The convenience stores each offer 180 products, spanning sweets, snack, sandwiches, sushi and hot food to go. The long-term aspiration is for the range to become “gig specific” and cater to the show’s likely audience or even special artist requirements.

Another aspiration is to drive “brand reappraisal”, says Kerfoot, potentially boosting footfall for Co-op stores. “If we can get people buying Co-op products in the venue and then subsequently seeking them out in our stores, then we’ve done our job,” she explains.

Meanwhile, the two Co-op Kitchen hot food outlets are a showcase for its ethically sourced own-brand food, such as its Irresistible pizzas and Gro plant-based burgers. All are cooked fresh and served “theatre-style for an elevated experience”, according to Co-op. “The aim of the hot food concessions has really been about heroing the best of Co-op,” adds Sargent. “We want to offer an experience that inspires consumers to recreate these meals at home using Co-op ingredients.”

Crucially, the concessions also had to factor in convenience. Every item on the menu has been designed to be handheld, meaning it can be taken to leaning stations or inside the main arena.

Responsible venue

At the same time, keeping waste and packaging to a minimum is key, Kerfoot adds.

No single-use plastics are permitted inside the venue – and even power has been thought about from an environmental perspective. Co-op Live aims to transition to net zero by 2038 by using renewable energy, including solar power from its roof and air source heat pumps. It also wants to enhance green spaces around the venue.

And in a further demonstration of its ethos, the venue will give back to communities. Co-op Live will generate at least £1m a year for the Co-op Foundation to help deliver on its new youth-led strategy and drive social action through the Young Gamechangers Fund.

As Stevie Nicks sang during her recent performance of the Fleetwood Mac classic ‘Landslide’ at the venue, “time makes you bolder”. It seems Co-op has taken note. By choosing the right project and taking its time over the details, the retailer has come up with a bold proposition indeed.