CENTRAL ENGLAND CO-OPERATIVE LIMITED

MEMBERSHIP TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1 WHO WE ARE

1.1 We are Central England Co-operative Limited, a registered society with company number IP10143R. Our registered office is Central House, Queen Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6QD. Our VAT number is GB 508037563.

1.2 When we say “we”, “us”, “our”, “Central Co-op” or “Society”, we mean Central England Co-operative Limited.

1.3 When we say “you” and “your”, we mean the person whose name is on the front of the membership card (either physical or digital).

2 ABOUT THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.1 These terms and conditions should be read alongside our rules, which can be found here (Rules).

2.2 Where there is a conflict or discrepancy between these terms and conditions and our Rules, our Rules take precedence.

2.3 These terms and conditions, together with our Rules, outline your rights, obligations, and benefits you receive once you join the Society as a member (Member). Throughout these terms and conditions, we refer to “Membership” to mean your membership to the Society, including the associated rights and to benefits that come with being a Member.

3 MEMBERSHIP

3.1 You can apply to become a Member through Central Co-op mobile app (App), online at www.members.coop (Website), or by contacting our Membership services team using the details in Section 5.

3.2 We welcome membership applications from customers who share our co-operative values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity (covered by Rule 15). You must live in the UK and be aged 16 years or over. As a Member, you are required to hold and retain at least one £1 share fully paid in Central England Co-operative. Full Membership, with associated democratic rights, takes effect six months following the full payment of the minimum one £1 share to the Society.

3.3 You will need to pay your £1 share upfront on becoming a Member.
3.4 We reserve the right to refuse any application for Membership where there is evidence that the applicant does not abide by Co-operative value and principles or has a stated aim of seeking to demutualising the Society. This list is not exhaustive, and other similar factors may also be taken into account.

4 MEMBERSHIP CARD

4.1 Your Membership card is issued on the condition that you accept these terms and conditions and agree to follow our Rules.

4.2 Once you have applied to become a Member (as explained at Section 3) you will be provided with a “One Member ID” which you can use within the App to access your digital membership card. You may also contact us (using the contact details set out at Section 5) to receive a physical card. Both the digital and physical membership card are referred to collectively within these Terms and Conditions as “Membership Card”. You must scan your Membership Card when making a purchase.

4.3 The Membership Card is not a loyalty card, credit card, payment card or cheque guarantee card. It is purely for Membership purposes only.

4.4 The Membership Card remains the property of the Society, who may withdraw the Membership Card at any time in accordance with our Rules.

4.5 The Membership Card is valid in outlets operated by our Society.

4.6 You are entitled to vote at Member meetings. Please present your Membership Card to exercise your voting rights.

4.7 The Membership Card can only be used for the benefit of the Member named on the front of the Membership Card and when that person has signed the back of the Membership Card. You may not transfer any of your rights and duties as a member of the Society.

4.8 The Membership Card can only be used in respect of purchases made by and for the individual Member and for their immediate, dependent family.

4.9 You can partner your Membership Card with another person living at the same address as you.

4.9.1 Reward ££s and points earned from purchases made on a partnered card (as explained at Sections 6 and 7) will be accrued onto your Membership Card and you, as the main Membership card holder, will receive the benefits of these reward ££s including any dividends (see Section 6.9).

4.9.2 A partner card holder would not be a Member and, as such, they will not be eligible for any of the benefits available to you as the Member, including any dividends (see Section 6.9), participating in Member democratic voting or attending Members’ meetings.

4.10 As a Member, it is your responsibility to inform us if your details change, such as your name or address. Should this be the case, please update your details on your Membership account Online, via the App, or contact the Membership Team using the contact details at Section 5, so we can update your details. This will ensure we are able to send you any dividend payments (as explained at Section 6.9) and other communications relating to your Membership. Please quote your Membership Card number, or name and postcode to help us to find your Membership record. For a change or name, we may require you to provide relevant documents, such as a marriage certificate or change of name deed.

4.11 If your Membership Card is lost, damaged or stolen, replacement cards can be requested by contacting our Membership Team, using the contact details at Section 5. In respect of a replacement Membership Card:

4.11.1 production of a replacement Membership Card may take up to 14 days; and

4.11.2 we may provide appropriate authorities any information considered important about the loss or theft of a Membership Card.

5 CONTACT DETAILS

5.1 You can contact our Membership Team for any Membership matters or questions about these terms and conditions or our Rules.

5.2 We may monitor or record phone calls for security purposes and to improve the quality of our services to our Members.

5.3 Membership Team:

Tel: 0800 050 1601

Email: members@centralcoop.co.uk

Post: Central England Co-operative, Membership Team, Central House, Queen Street, Lichfield, WS13 6QD.

6 EARNING POINTS

6.1 You can earn Membership points when you present your card when carrying out your transaction at a Central England Co-operative outlet. The points you accrue are then converted into a dividend amount as explained at Section 6.9.

6.2 The Membership points earned on qualifying transactions and purchases are determined by the Society and may change from time to time. The following rates currently apply:

Central England Co-operative Food	1 point for every £1 spent
Central England Co-operative Fuel Stations	1 point for every £10 spent
Central England Co-operative Funeralcare	1 point for every £1 spent
Central England Co-operative residential tenants	1 point for every £1 spent

We refer to these collectively as “Points” throughout these terms and conditions.

6.3 If you are unable to produce your Membership Card at the time of purchase, you can still register your purchase and claim Points by contacting our Membership Team. You will require a proof of purchase.

6.4 Central England Co-operative Residential Tenants

6.4.1 If your residential property is owned by Central England Co-operative and you are a registered Member, you can earn Points on the rent you pay.

6.4.2 Payments that qualify as rent is the monthly rent amount detailed in the tenancy agreement. No other charges will qualify.

6.4.3 Points will not be awarded if the rent account is more than ten working days in arrears.

6.4.4 Points will be awarded from 1 January 2021. Any rent payments made prior to this date will not be included in the scheme.

6.5 Funeralcare

6.5.1 Points are awarded to the Membership account of the person who pays for the at-need funeral arrangements, not to the person who confirms the wishes and funeral services in conjunction with one of our funeral arrangers or funeral directors. The only exemption to this is when the person confirming the wishes and funeral services is the spouse of the person who pays for the at-need funeral arrangements or a relative who lives at the same address as the person who pays for the at-need arrangements.

6.6 Exclusions

6.6.1 The following transactions do not qualify for Points:

a) Central England Co-operative Food Stores

i Cigarettes & Tobacco

ii Baby Milk

iii Milk Tokens

iv Stamps

v National Lottery Purchases

vi Gift Vouchers

vii Phone cards / top ups

viii In-store concessions

ix Any services provided by a third-party organisation or company

b) Central England Co-operative Funeral Services

i Disbursements or third-party professional services on at-need funeral arrangements.

ii Points are not awarded to the Membership Card of the deceased, as the Membership Team will place the Membership account on hold pending receipt of a death certificate. However, a next of kin or executor may request the transfer of a Membership account upon production of a death certificate to the Membership Team. Additional identification may also be required.

iii Points are awarded at the point of purchase on all funeral plans; therefore Points will not be awarded on a funeral plan at the point of redemption.

6.7 Earning Points through Member activities

6.7.1 There may be times when you can also earn Points for taking part in certain Member activities and events run by the Central England Co-operative. This is at the discretion of the Society, and we will communicate relevant details at the time of publication of the activity.

6.8 Refund or return of goods

6.8.1 If you purchase goods from us and return them for a refund, we may remove/amend any Points you have earned from your Membership Card. This will not apply where this is because of a valid complaint.

6.9 Converting Points into dividends

6.9.1 As determined by the Society’s Board of Directors, the Points you have earned during the qualifying period will be converted to a dividend value at a rate proposed by the Board to Members, for approval, at either the Society’s Annual Members’ Meeting or Interim Members’ Meeting.

6.9.2 A dividend is your share of the Society’s profits, paid out to you based on the number of Points you have accrued in a qualifying period (Dividend).

6.9.3 Receiving your Dividend:

a) The rate at which your Points are converted into monetary value is subject to: (i) consideration by the Board (after taking into account the Society’s trading surplus) and (ii) the approval of participating, eligible Members at our annual and interim Members’ meetings.

b) We will only pay your Dividends once the value of your Points you have earned is greater than the minimum limit for payment, which the Society sets from time to time. If the Points you have earned is less than the minimum limit for payment, we will carry forward this amount and add it to the Points you earn in the next trading period.[Sh1]

c) Your Dividend share will be paid to you in whole pounds and will be loaded onto your Membership Card during the next available share of the profits pay-out period.[Sh2]

d) You can spend your Dividend on purchases within our Central England Co-operative food, funeral and florist businesses as a full or part payment for a product or service, by presenting your Membership Card during the transaction.

e) You can also convert your Dividend payment to cash or a charitable donation by contacting our Membership Team. If you have instructed us, we will pay 100% of your Dividend value to our corporate charity.

7 REWARD ££S

7.1 Reward ££s are earned on specific products, as determined by the Society from time to time, during a single transaction. The amount of reward ££s you can earn for each product will be displayed on the shelf edge “Reward ££s”.

7.2 You can earn and spend Reward ££s in both pounds and pence, and they may be used to pay for part of a transaction.

7.3 Reward ££s can be used towards the cost of any goods or services purchased at any Central England Co-operative food outlet[Sh3] .

7.4 Reward ££s cannot be used on the same transaction in which they are earned; they can only be redeemed on a subsequent transaction.

7.5 Reward ££s can be redeemed through the App or by presenting your Membership Card at the point of sale.

7.6 Reward ££s have no cash value and cannot be withdrawn as cash.

7.7 Reward ££s expire 12 months from the date they are earned.

7.8 Your Reward ££s balance can be viewed and managed through the App. You can also inquire about your Reward ££s balance at the point of sale by viewing your receipt or asking a member of staff.

7.9 Reward ££s are only available to Members.

7.10 Reward ££s be earned or spent at other co-operative societies e.g. Midcounties Co-operative, Southern Co-operative etc.

8 YOUR MEMBER POT

8.1 Your Member pot shows the total monetary value of both your Reward ££s and Dividends. This is the amount you’ve earned through the Membership that you can spend, so you can easily see how much is available to use at any time. You can view your Member pot balance through the App.

9 CANCELLING YOUR MEMBERSHIP

9.1 You can cancel your Membership at any time by contacting the Membership Team.

10 SHARES

10.1 All Members must hold at least one £1 share in the Society as explained at Sections 3.2 and 3.3.

10.2 As a Member, you can also invest in Withdrawable Share Capital with the Society (to a maximum of £100,000) by opening a Share Account. This includes and is subject to the requirement of holding the minimum £1 share in the Society for six months.

10.3 For more information on Share Accounts and Withdrawable Share Capital please refer to the terms and conditions which can be found here. To apply for a Share Account, contact the Membership Team.

11 DATA PRIVACY

11.1 We take great care to protect your personal information and only use it in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

12 CHANGES TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

12.1 In accordance with our Rules (and Sections 12.2 and 12.3 below) these terms and conditions may be amended and then publicised on our Website, through the App, instore signage, email notifications, postal mail, and at the Annual General Meeting, having an immediate effect, replacing previous terms and conditions.

12.2 We can always make changes to these terms and conditions and your Membership without notifying you for the following reasons:

a) to reflect changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements; and

b) to make minor technical adjustments and improvements. These are changes that do not negatively affect your use of the Membership;

12.3 If we make changes that materially affect these terms and conditions, your Membership, or your consumer rights (e.g., the number of Points you may accrue on a purchase), we will notify you at least 28 days before the changes take effect. For more significant changes, such as a complete overhaul of Reward ££s, we will aim to give you at least 3 months’ notice. Continuing to use your Membership Card after the changes take effect will be considered acceptance of those changes.

13 PROMOTIONS

13.1 The Society may from time to time offer specific promotions that enhance the Reward ££s experience or increase the amount of Reward ££s earned. Details of these promotions will be communicated to Members through appropriate channels, such as the Website, the App, in-store signage, email notifications, SMS and postal mail where consent is acquired.

14 OTHER TERMS

14.1 These terms and conditions are governed by English law and wherever you live you can bring claims against us in the English courts. If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring claims against us in the courts of the country you live in. We can claim against you in the courts of the country you live in.

14.2 We may transfer these terms and conditions to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms and conditions to another organisation, but this will not affect your rights or our obligations under the terms and conditions or the Membership.

14.3 Nobody else has any rights under these terms and conditions with you. These terms and conditions are just between you and us. No one else has any rights to enforce any of the terms.

14.4 If a court invalidates some of the terms, the rest of it will still apply. Each of the sections of these terms and conditions operate separately. If any part of the terms and conditions cannot be enforced, all other parts will still apply and will continue in force.

14.5 Even if we delay in enforcing these terms and conditions, we can still enforce them later.
These terms and conditions were last updated in September 2025.