However elections were still held with rival political groups standing, such as the 1960 Committee which attempted to give a more left-wing leadership to the London Region of CRS.

The society saw the CWS-led Co-op brand as old and out-dated and began a huge refurbishment programme of its ageing and neglected stores under a new 'Co-operative' identity.

Slow to adopt the commonplace EPoS systems for its tills,[3] and still pricing products individually rather than using barcode scanners, it also invested in information technology.

In 2000, these changes and improvements were overtaken by events, as CRS was merged back into CWS to form The Co-operative Group.

Over the following few years, the re-branding efforts were temporarily reversed as stores and own brand goods were converted into CWS-designed formats – which included the 1993 version of the 1968 CWS four leaf clover "Co-op" logo.

The society operated ten car dealerships with 835 staff in the Cambridge area under the Herbert Robinson name.

[10] Herbert Robinson had been a business of the former Cambridge & District Co-operative Society, that transferred engagements to CRS in 1991.