Country Markets Limited is a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the li ...

headquartered in Chesterfield,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. It coordinates the organisation of regular sales of home-produced goods by individual producers. All Country Markets are run co-operatively with no table dedicated to any individual. Membership costs 5p and is open to anyone over the age of 16. Every member of each market is expected to take their turn staffing the stalls and helping to run the market. Each producer receives about 90% of the sales income from their produce monthly. These principles have shaped the markets since they were established by the Women's Institute in 1919. The first Women's Institute Market took place in

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of t ...

to sell surplus produce in 1919. WI County Federations supported the spread of WI Markets. In 1932 the Markets were registered as

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

s under the Industrial Provident and Friendly Societies Act 1893. Their combined annual turnover reached £1m in 1972 and £10m in 1992. The Markets separated from The National Federation of Women's Institutes in 1995 and became self-financing. As of 2003, there were 500 Country Markets run across the country. In 2004 the company was renamed Country Markets Limited.

References

External links

Country Markets web-site
Companies based in Derbyshire Co-operatives in the United Kingdom Chesterfield, Derbyshire {{UK-org-stub