Unicorn Grocery shows how a Chorlton co-op can grow with its community

In Chorlton, Unicorn Grocery has spent almost three decades proving that a shop can be run differently. The wholefood grocer is a workers' co-operative, owned and run by the people who work there.

The idea was first discussed in 1994 by Adam York, Griff Dines and Ian Browne. They were inspired by Daily Bread, a pair of workers' co-operatives in Northampton and Cambridge, and set out to create something similar in south Manchester.

Unicorn was registered as a workers' co-operative in the mid-1990s, with sources giving 1995 or 1996, and the shop opened in Chorlton. From the start, it has had a completely flat management structure and an equal pay policy, meaning every member shares responsibility for the business.

That model has proved remarkably successful. The co-op has grown to more than 60 members, and its commitment to good food and fair practice has earned national recognition. It was named Best Independent Retailer by the Soil Association in 2016 and won Best Food Retailer at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in 2017.

Perhaps the most heartening part of the story came when the landlord decided to sell the premises. Loyal customers bought £350,000 of loan stock bonds so that the co-op could buy its building, a powerful show of how much the shop means to the community around it.

Unicorn has also shared what it has learned. The Meteor has reported on its work to help other communities co-operate and grow their own grocery businesses, spreading the model beyond Chorlton.

For many shoppers, a visit is about more than filling a basket. It is a chance to support a business that puts people, fairness and food first, and to see a long-running Manchester co-operative in action, where the people serving at the tills are also the owners of the business.

Details of the shop, its produce and the history of the co-op are available on the Unicorn Grocery website, and it is easy to reach by tram or bus from the city centre.