United Norwest Co-op is refusing to say whether it will join the movement's grocery buying group ­ the Co-operative Retail Trading Group. But the go-it-alone society is under pressure to join following the release of the Co-operative Commission's report into the movement. In a wide ranging report, the Commission makes 60 recommendations, one of which calls for all societies to join the CRTG. And Commission secretary Alan Donnelly said proposals to reform the structure and accounting practices of the CRTG meant there should now be "no obstacles" to membership. United Norwest said it would hold a special meeting in mid April to consider the report's recommendations. The society's chief executive Martin Beaumont said: "We are sure the report will reinforce many of the major initiatives which this society has been pioneering in recent years." Food retailing should be at the forefront of moves to create a new national Co-op brand, said Donnelly. CWS chief executive Graham Melmouth said proposals to implement standard store formats, common purchasing of store fittings and national distribution would "not happen overnight". But he was confident the societies would accept the recommendations. "In our case, the Commission is pushing at an open door," he added. The Commissioners were confident the movement would vote in favour of their recommendations when it meets at the Co-op Congress in May. They are also confident the movement will crack on with implementing the report ­ unlike the last Commission, in 1958, whose recommendations were largely ignored. "Let's cut to the chase," said Donnelly. "Our competitors are getting a 20% return on capital employed and the Co-ops often struggle to get 5%. But we were not set up to manage decline. All the evidence suggests the co-operative model is as relevant today as when it started 150 years ago. We are here to reinforce the social agenda but we must adopt modern business practices." {{NEWS }}

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