Park Slope Food Joins National Co+op Grocers

Park Slope Food Co-op, one of the nation’s largest single-store food co-ops, has become a member of National Co+op Grocers (NCG), a business services co-op for retail food co-ops.

Park Slope Food, which opened in 1973, has annual sales of more than $50 million with 16,000 members who are required to work three hours per month, a unique requirement for retail food cooperatives.

NCG also welcomed four associate co-ops:

• Chicago’s Dill Pickle Food Co-op, which opened in 2009 and is moving to a larger location. It has had double-digit sales growth, with sales at almost $2 million, and more than 1,500 members.
• East Aurora Cooperative Market in East Aurora, N.Y., which will open its first retail location by the end of year and has 1,100 owners.
• Fiddleheads Natural Foods Co-op based in New London, Conn., which was formed in 2002 and opened a store in 2008. Sales are more than $3 million with 1,500 owners.
• Whole Earth Grocery Co-op in River Falls, Wis., opened in 1973 and is currently looking to expand with sales of $1 million and 1,100 members.

The new companies brings NCG membership up to 148 affiliated co-ops that operate more than 200 stores.

“These five co-ops joining NCG reflect the many different stories of retail food co-ops and their communities very well,” said Robynn Shrader, CEO of NCG. “From a long-established co-op like Park Slope, to young and thriving co-ops in communities large and small, we are excited to welcome them and work together in growing the cooperative economy.”