Scotmid

{{Short description|UK independent retail consumers' co-operative}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Scottish Midland Co-operative Society Limited

| trade_name = Scotmid

| logo = Scotmid_logo.svg

| logo_size = 200px

| type = Consumer co-operative

| foundation = {{Start date and age|1859}} in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

| location = Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

| key_people = {{unbulleted list|Harry Cairney (President)|John Brodie (CEO)}}

| num_employees = 3,880 (2020)

| area_served = Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England

| industry = Retail, property, funeral services

| revenue = £385.0 million (2020)

| operating_income = £7.6 million (2020)

| net_income = £4.5 million (2020)

| members = 155,997 (2020)

| homepage = {{URL|https://www.scotmid.coop}}

| footnotes = [https://scotmid.coop/news-and-media/annual-reports/ Annual Report 2020]

}}

The Scottish Midland Co-operative Society (trading as Scotmid), is an independent retail consumers' co-operative based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Originally founded as St. Cuthbert's Co-operative Society in 1859, it merged with Dalziel Co-operative Society of Motherwell in 1981 to form Scotmid.

With over 3,900 staff, the co-operative has 177 Scotmid supermarkets and convenience stores, nine Lakes & Dales convenience stores, 17 funeral offices, and 89 Semichem health and beauty shops throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.{{Cite web|title=Our Businesses {{!}} Scotmid Co-operative|url=https://scotmid.coop/about-us/our-businesses/|access-date=2021-03-31|website=scotmid.coop|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415131753/https://scotmid.coop/about-us/our-businesses/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=26 January 2019|title=Scottish Midland Co-operative Society Limited Annual Return and Accounts 2019|url=https://mutuals.fca.org.uk/Documents/Download/451480|url-status=live|access-date=31 March 2021|website=FCA Mutuals Public Register|format=PDF|archive-date=10 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010192839/https://mutuals.fca.org.uk/Documents/Download/451480}}

Governance

Like most other retail consumers' co-operatives in the United Kingdom, Scotmid is incorporated as a registered society.{{Cite web|title=Mutuals Public Register: Scottish Midland Co-operative Society Limited|url=https://mutuals.fca.org.uk/Search/Society/7648|access-date=2021-03-31|website=mutuals.fca.org.uk|archive-date=10 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010192844/https://mutuals.fca.org.uk/Search/Society/7648|url-status=live}}

Scotmid has a committee style governance structure, similar to The Co-operative Group prior to its own major governance reforms. Scotmid Board Directors are nominated by Regional Committee members

and elected by members from the Regions they represent (if these positions are contested).

History

[[File:Old Leith Provident building, Great Junction Street (geograph 2643796).jpg|thumb|left|The former Leith Provident Co-operative building at the west end of Great Junction Street has a distinctive domed octagonal clock tower, forming a major landmark.{{Cite web

|url = http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/attachments/internet/environment/planning_and_buildings/built_heritage/caca/Leith_CACA.pdf

|pages = 46–47 (with photograph)

|date = 2002-04-18

|title = LEITH CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER APPRAISAL

|access-date = 2008-06-23

|publisher = Edinburgh City Council

}}{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}]]

In 1968, Leith Provident'sLeith Provident Co-operative Society was founded in 1878 and merged with St Cuthbert's in 1975 http://www2.co-operative.com:8080/Ext_1/ShHistory.ns4/$WebSharebook/Leith?OpenDocument{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} 1911 department store on Great Junction Street was still operating a then unusual overhead wire system that transported a customer's payment and dividend number from the sales assistant to the cashier, returning change and receipt.{{Cite web

|url = http://www.leithlocalhistorysociety.org.uk/timeline_content.php

|title = Timeline

|publisher = Leith Local History Society

|access-date = 2008-06-23

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080430192713/http://www.leithlocalhistorysociety.org.uk/timeline_content.php

|archive-date = 30 April 2008

|df = dmy-all

}}{{Cite news

|url=http://www.scotsman.com/people/Sold-on-sales-for-bagging.3627575.jp

|title=Sold on sales for bagging best bargains

|publisher=Edinburgh Evening News via scotsman.com

|date=2007-12-29

|access-date=2008-06-23

|archive-date=14 June 2011

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614160249/http://www.scotsman.com/people/Sold-on-sales-for-bagging.3627575.jp

|url-status=live

}}

File:Leith Provident Co-operative Society Limited.JPG

File:Semichem, Stranraer (geograph 6417053).jpg, Dumfries and Galloway]]

In 1995, Scotmid acquired the Scottish health and beauty retail chain Semi-Chem (since rebranded Semichem), followed in 1999 by the similar Northern Ireland business, Options.{{Cite web

|url = http://www.scotmid.co.uk/depts/Corporate/au_history.php

|title = History

|publisher = Scotmid

|access-date = 2008-08-02

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081121194506/http://www.scotmid.co.uk/depts/Corporate/au_history.php

|archive-date = 21 November 2008

|df = dmy-all

}} Also in 1999, Scotmid merged with Prestonpans Co-operative Society.{{Cite web

|url=http://mutuals.fsa.gov.uk/SocietyDetails.aspx?Number=97&Suffix=RS

|title=Prestonpans Co-operative Society Limited, number 97RS

|work=Mutuals Public Register

|publisher=FSA

}}

In 2000, Scotmid closed all 20 of its non-food department stores, which had made losses for five successive years.{{Cite news

|url=http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&res_dat=xri:pqil:res_ver=0.2&res_id=xri:newsuk&rft_id=xri:newsuk:newsart:55440695

|title=Jobs go as Scotmid axes non-food shops

|work=Edinburgh Evening News

|date=21 June 2000

|last=Bevens|first=Nick

|pages=B.1}}

In 2003, Scotmid acquired Wakefield-based national distribution business, M & S Toiletries, which it sold in 2008 to Sert UK.{{Cite web

|url = http://www.scotmid.co.uk/holding_pages/MST/history.php

|title = M&S Toiletries History

|publisher = Scotmid

}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite web

|url = http://www.scotmid.co.uk/depts/Corporate/news.php?articleID=103

|title = M & S Toiletries Sold to Sert UK

|publisher = Scotmid

}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In the early 21st century, Scotmid acquired several competing convenience shops in Scotland: Alldays, 64 SPAR shops and Morning, Noon & Night.

Scotmid added Dundas Fyfe funeral directors to its funeral operation in a reported £1 million buy-out deal. The head office moved from Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, where it had been since 1859, to a new purpose-built office near Newbridge.

The Fragrance House was founded by Scotmid in 2009. It specializes in perfume and by 2011 had five shops in Scotland with plans to expand to England and Northern Ireland.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefragrancehouse.co.uk/|quote="We currently have five stores - in Dundee, Livingston, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Greenock ... plans are underway to open more stores in the right locations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England."|publisher=Scotmid|title=The Fragrance House|access-date=28 April 2011|archive-date=30 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430193244/http://www.thefragrancehouse.co.uk/|url-status=live}}

On 31 March 2021, it was announced that "up to 22" Semichem stores would close.{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Peter A.|date=2021-03-31|title=Semichem to close up to 22 stores - including 13 in Scotland|url=https://www.insider.co.uk/news/semichem-close-up-22-stores-23826744|access-date=2021-04-01|website=businessInsider|language=en|archive-date=31 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331084129/https://www.insider.co.uk/news/semichem-close-up-22-stores-23826744|url-status=live}}

=Morning, Noon & Night=

Morning Noon & Night was a Scottish convenience shop chain set up in Dundee in 1991, by retailing executive Eddie Thompson (who became chairman of Dundee United in 2002.)

In 2004, Thompson sold the company to Scotmid for £30 million.{{cite news|url=http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2004/08/03/story6182386t0.shtm|title=Dundee firm sold for £30 million|publisher=Evening Telegraph|date=3 August 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040815074720/http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2004/08/03/story6182386t0.shtm|archive-date=15 August 2004|df=dmy-all}}

This allowed Scotmid to add the 50 Morning, Noon & Night shops to its portfolio letting it expand into areas of Scotland, such as the Highlands, where it didn't previously have any shops.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3532652.stm|title=Rival bags convenience shop deal|publisher=BBC News|date=3 August 2004|access-date=20 May 2008|archive-date=10 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010192844/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3532652.stm|url-status=live}}

File:Scotmid, Ballantrae (geograph 6160501).jpg, South Ayrshire in 2019]]

=Botterills Convenience Stores=

Botterills Convenience Stores was a Scottish convenience shop founded in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire in the 1950s by the Botterill family. Trading under the name of "Botterills of Blantyre" and latterly under the SPAR banner, it ranked 19th in The Grocers Top 50 independent grocery retailers.{{cite web|url=http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=articles&ID=213922|title=Loss of Botterills business forces CJ Lang to hit recruitment trail|publisher=The Grocer|date=13 November 2010|access-date=15 November 2010|archive-date=29 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929151458/http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=articles&ID=213922|url-status=live}} Owner Jim Botterill sold his 51 shops to Scotmid in November 2010 for an undisclosed sum, enabling Scotmid to extend its territory south and west.{{cite news|url=http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=independentarticle&ID=213872|title=Scotmid acquire the Botterills family chain|publisher=The Grocer|date=12 November 2010}}

=Lakes & Dales Co-operative=

File:Cooperative Supermarket, Seaton Delaval (geograph 5655585).jpg, Northumberland following the merger with Scotmid.]]

In 2013 Scotmid merged with the Penrith Co-operative Society which had at the time of merger operated a department store and attached supermarket in Penrith, Cumbria and 7 small food shops in Cumbria and County Durham the Penrith shops are to be rebranded as the Lakes & Dales Co-operative. The first shop to be rebranded was the Lazonby branch. In early 2015 the non food departments of the Penrith shop were closed and in February 2016 the rest of the shop closed.

In 2015 Scotmid merged with the Northumbrian Seaton Valley Co-operative Society adding its shops to the Lakes & Dales chain.