Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers

As the mechanisation of the Industrial Revolution was forcing more and more skilled workers into poverty, a group of tradesmen decided to band together to open their own store selling food items they could not otherwise afford.

Within three months, they expanded their selection to include tea and tobacco, and they were soon known for providing high-quality, unadulterated goods.

However the co-operative's minutes never mention 28 men or the figure of £28 - as researchers showed in 2016, after careful and full consideration of the society's records.

[13] The Pioneers rented their first store at 31 Toad Lane and moved out in 1867 but the co-operative movement later purchased it, and opened it as a museum in 1931.

It is now a separate legal entity, as the museum and archive are operated by a charity, the Co-operative Heritage Trust CIO, which was incorporated in 2019.