Leeds Co-operative Society

Leeds Co-op was founded in 1847 as a Co-operative Flour Mill Society, workers at Benyon & Co's flax spinning mill raising funds through instalments to acquire some land.

By the 1860s it was the country's largest co-operative society and it became the City's major retailer.

Although it started as a flour miller, the society soon diversified into food and non-food retailing.

At its merger with United, the society stood at over 700 employees and 21,000 members, trading at twenty-one food supermarkets, seventeen travel agencies, eighteen funeral homes, six optical units and a large property portfolio in West Yorkshire.

[1][permanent dead link‍] The members voted once again for merger, and Leeds Society ceded their assets to United in mid January 2007.