Federated Co-operatives Limited

Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) is a central wholesaling, manufacturing, and administrative organization uniting 300 locally owned retail Co-operatives in western Canada. In Saskatchewan alone FCL administers 165 retail co-ops, with over 300,000 members and 5,700 employees. Together, FCL and its member retail co-operatives comprise the Co-operative Retailing System, which employs 15,000 people across western Canada. FCL, through the Co-operative Retailing System, provides over one million members in 500 communities with a variety of goods and services, such as food, petroleum products, general merchandise, farm supplies, hardware, and building materials. The co-operative system began in 1928 when local co-ops joined together, establishing provincial wholesales with increased buying power. In 1955, wholesales in the four western provinces united to form FCL. FCL has its head office in Saskatoon and numerous regional offices and distribution centres across the Prairies. It also owns and operates feed plants and propane distribution centres throughout western Canada, a sawmill and plywood production facility in British Columbia, a food wholesaler and retailer in Edmonton, and an oil refinery (Consumers' Co-operative Refineries Ltd) in Regina. With 3,000 employees and revenues of $3.31 billion in 2002, FCL was the top-ranked non-financial co-operative in Canada and the top-ranked company in Saskatchewan.

Iain Stewart

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Further Reading

2003. “Co-operative System Stronger than Ever,” Saskbusiness 24: B3; Martin, P. 2003. “Saskatchewan's Top 100,” Saskatchewan Business 24: 17-26.