Historical society unveils plaque to mark one of Ilkeston’s most iconic buildings

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 06/12/2017


Members of Ilkeston and District Local History Society have celebrated one of the town’s most iconic buildings with the unveiling of a special plaque.

The group were joined by local dignitaries, including current Central England Co-operative President Elaine Dean, to officially honour the site of the former home of the Ilkeston Co-operative Society, in South Street.

The Society operated a department store, two bedding stores, travel stores, a banqueting suite and two car body shops, having sold its car retail business to United Co-operatives in 2004.

It merged with Midlands Co-operative Society in 2006.

The Ilkeston department store closed its doors for the final time in 2013 and is now home to several retailers and businesses.

Elaine said: “I was extremely grateful to be invited along to mark the unveiling of the plaque in Ilkeston.

“As a Society we are always proud to celebrate our history and our heritage and we are pleased to be able to honour the role that Ilkeston Co-operative played in the area and the co-operative movement as a whole.”

Central England Co-operative retains strong links with the area and still operates a Post Office and funeral home in the town.

The Society also recently spent over £500,000 on opening a brand new food store in nearby Horsley Woodhouse.

Danny Cornes, President of Ilkeston and District Local History Society, said: “Everyone in Ilkeston is extremely proud of its historical association with the co-operative and we were proud to be able to permanently honour it with the unveiling of this special plaque.”

Notes to editors

Picture caption: Members of Ilkeston and District Local History Society and Central England Co-operative President Elaine Dean unveil a plaque to mark the former home of Ilkeston Co-operative Society, in South Street.

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property investment. Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2017.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop