OurCoop is facing criticism from members after its chief executive’s pay more than tripled to £2.2m, despite the mutual reporting a fall in sales and profits.
The independent co-operative, which runs around 500 food stores across England, also did not approve an annual profit-share payment for members this year, although shoppers have received member discounts.
Chief executive Deborah Robinson’s total pay rose to £2.16m for the year, including an 11.5 per cent increase in basic salary, a £1.1m incentive payment and a £400,000 one-off discretionary award.
The pay package for finance, technology and property officer Selina Butterfield-Mashoofi also increased sharply to £1.13m. This included a £500,000 incentive payment and a one-off payment of £212,015, while her basic salary rose from £257,606 to £400,000.
OurCoop was created following the merger of Central Co-op and Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society last year, before adding the Midcounties Co-operative in January.
However, the enlarged group reported a 4.4 per cent drop in sales to £844.6m for the year to 24 January, while trading profit almost halved to £4.3m. Net debt rose to £36m.
The business was also affected by its supply relationship with the Co-op Group, which was hit by a cyber attack last year.
In its annual report, OurCoop said changes to executive pay had been introduced after its previous remuneration policy came under pressure, with the society concerned about the risk of losing senior leaders during a period of major strategic change.
It said previous incentive arrangements had become “unmeasurable and obsolete” due to the speed and scale of change within the organisation.
An OurCoop spokesperson said the remuneration report had been published so members could scrutinise the decisions, adding that the annual report and accounts were approved by members on 20 May, with 85 per cent voting in favour.
The spokesperson said executive pay was set by the society’s remuneration committee and approved by a democratically elected board, with no members of the executive team sitting on either the board or remuneration committee.
They added that the decisions reflected “a year of fundamental change”, including the mergers that created OurCoop and the increased scale and complexity of senior roles.
OurCoop also said it had invested a further £8.5m to increase staff pay in 2026, with hourly rates above the national living wage for all employees regardless of age. The mutual said it also offered paid breaks and benefits including free health checks, a virtual GP service, counselling and access to a nutritionist.
However, some members have questioned whether the scale of executive pay awards is appropriate given the group’s financial performance and the absence of a member profit-share payment.
One member said it was difficult to understand how bonuses of that size could be justified while profits were falling and members and colleagues were not seeing equivalent benefits.
A former senior staff member also criticised the awards on LinkedIn, questioning how such payments could be justified after a decline in profits and support office redundancies.
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