Tracing the origin of Andover Co-op society

The origin of the Andover Co-operative Society can be traced back to a notice placed in the Andover Advertiser of December 7, 1900: by collective agreement of the grocers and bakers of the town and district, the custom of giving all their customers a Christmas box was to be discontinued.

This was the catalyst to a revolt, and a public meeting attended by 175 people was held in the Foresters Hall in London Street with a view to starting a local co-operative society. Essentially, Andover’s society followed a scheme first pioneered in Rochdale in 1844 whereby customers could become members of the local society and receive an annual dividend based on the amount they spent.

To begin with, all the independent societies dealt in foodstuffs, sourced from local suppliers but this eventually expanded into a wide range of goods, supplied by the national Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS) from its own factories.

The first modest premises were in New Street from January to October 1901.

During this period sales totalled nearly £3,000 and membership grew to 369. At the end of October, a purchases dividend of 5 per cent was paid out to each member.

Success seemed assured and the new society then opened two adjoining shops in Bridge Street, virtually opposite to the buildings shown above and which still stand today.

According to their advertising, the society were not only grocers but bakers, drapers and outfitters; and in 1903, an agreement with a Mr Ambrose enabled the society to supply its members with coal as well.

Once more, bigger premises were required and the conveyance of Bridge House to the society was signed in 1905, although it was three years before plans were put into effect.

The new building was designed by a CWS architect in Manchester, while local builders Beales and Sons carried out the work, the new shop opening in 1909. During the 1914-18 war, three of the Co-op’s staff were killed – B T Deeme, the foreman baker, W Mills, baker and A E Wisewell, a carman.

After the war, it was decided to build again.

The terms of the 1909 site-purchase enabled the Co-op to demolish the coffee house next door and to build a larger shop.

Another CWS architect was engaged but this time the actual building was carried out by the CWS London building department, while the CWS shop-fitting department created the interior.

The new building was opened in 1923 and by this time the range of goods on offer was virtually universal.

Many local people will have their own memories of the Co-op but one notable feature of the 1923 building was the pneumatic tube system whereby the shop assistants sent customer cash payments, together with the bill, up to the office where it was counted and any change due sent back down to the shop.

This system was still in use until the building below was finally demolished in the 1970s.

This Co-op building in Andover was demolished in the 1970s