This is inspired by the fact that the Co-op has just bought sommerfield meaning that near 15% of supermarket retailing is now either owned by comsumers (Co-op) or by workers (Waitrose). Both Co-op and John Lewis/Waitrose seem to be very successful businesses not run for the benefit of shareholders sharing their profits with customers or workers.
The mutual and freindly finance sector was eviscerated in the 80s and early 90s thanks to thatcher and I think we are poorer because of it and, possibly, not a little of our current problems due to the credit boom would have been lessened with more firms driven by other than the profit motive.
Anyway lets talk about this, and why there are no globalised mutual finacial companies and about how we can increase the number of these sorts of highly beneficial businesses.
I would particularly like to know if anyone knows of any models for entrepreneurial high tech businesses run on a workers owned basis.
― Ed, Friday, 18 July 2008 09:56 (seventeen years ago)
no globalised mutual finacial companies because that's way too much power (i.e. financial) to not attract the 'legal' form of pocket-lining of demutualising.
― Mark G, Friday, 18 July 2008 10:00 (seventeen years ago)
Demutualisation is only possible because the legal protections against it were removed.
― Ed, Friday, 18 July 2008 10:02 (seventeen years ago)
yeah, but it was one small step for a man, one giant leap for everyone's bank balance, temporarily...
― Mark G, Friday, 18 July 2008 10:06 (seventeen years ago)
How are these 2 doing in the current climate?
JLP publish their weekly sales figures (do other retailers do this?) and a fairly detailed report.
Clothing for cold weather really started to sell across ladies, men's and children's, although it was hot water bottles that showed the greatest uplift at over +200 per cent
― no amount of cajolery (Ned Trifle II), Tuesday, 14 October 2008 11:00 (seventeen years ago)