Co-Op Societies ( ''jamʕīya taʕāwunīya''), often shortened to Co-Op, refer to Kuwaiti public organizations that are set up in each
area
Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...
of
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
and to provide services to its residents.
These services mainly manifest in setting up
grocery
A grocery store (American English, AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop (British English, BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food Product (business), products, which may be Fresh food, fresh or Food p ...
and
convenience store
A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...
s in each area, but Co-Op societies also often include a variety of different stores, both operated by the Co-Op and rented to private entities. There are around 60 Co-Ops in operation, making up around 60–70% of retail trade in Kuwait.
The residents of each area elect the board of their Co-Op on a yearly basis. Citizens in each area can become contributing members with voting power and receive a percentage of their purchases back annually. Some Co-Ops play a vital role in their community beside their commercial activity. For example, Co-Ops often provide support and/or donations to different local events and institutions such as
school
A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
s.
History
Comprising 70% of the retail trade in
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, the legal basis for consumer cooperatives was established in 1962 with law No. 20. By the start of the 1980s, Kuwait's cooperative movement became open to Arab and international cooperative movements, and the Kuwaiti Union for Cooperative Societies sought membership in the
International Cooperative Alliance
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), established in 1895, is a non-governmental organization dedicated to uniting, representing, and supporting Cooperative, cooperatives around the world. It is the guardian of the internationally recogn ...
as of March 1981. All the cooperative society come under the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies.
Invasion of Kuwait
During the
Iraqi invasion in 1990, Co-Ops played a major role in providing food and medicine, as well as support for residents and resistance groups.
One of the aims of the
Kuwaiti Resistance's guerilla tactics was to push the invading forces into their encampments to prevent them from coming near the co-ops, as they were seen as important and central community centres in each area. In addition to the negative psychological impact their visits would cause, Iraqi officers would at times harass Kuwaiti citizens and residents there and steal items; the Kuwaiti resistance followed a safe approach in response to such incidents by using remote detonations and silenced weapons.
Issues
Corruption
Some Co-Ops face issues of corruption, negligence, and/or mishandling. The grocery department of
Dasma and
Bnēd il-Gār Co-Op, for example, was replaced by a private grocery store following litigation and corruption allegations.
The government dissolved the boards of
Jābrīya Co-Op and
Fahad il-Aḥmad Co-Op over "grave financial and administrative errors", though in Jabriya's case, the board was reinstated following a
court order
A court order is an official proclamation by a judge (or panel of judges) that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying o ...
.
Privatization
There have been some attempts to
privatize
Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
some of the Co-Ops. However, the response to such a move has generally been critical.
Gallery
File:Rawda Co-Op.webp, Hawally and Rawda Co-Op main centre in Rawda, Kuwait
Rawda ( Gulf Arabic pronunciation: ) is an area located within the Capital Governorate of Kuwait and is considered a suburb of Kuwait's capital city, Kuwait City. It comprises five residential blocks. The area is served by the Rawda and Hawally ...
References
{{Portal, Organized labour
Department stores of Kuwait
Cooperatives in Kuwait
Consumers' cooperatives