2003 -
This project focuses attention on a period of significant change in popular cultures of consumption and in the development of retail provision, further complicated by a background of national and international economic uncertainty. For many working-class consumers a primary point of reference remained their local co-operative society. But the co-operative movement in turn was forced to adapt to changing circumstances. The project will examine the changing geography of co-operative retail provision, leading to comparative study of other key sectors including the expanding multiple chains. Co-operative attitudes towards spending and consuming will also be explored as an important influence upon, and reflection of, the wider evolution of mass consumption. Particular attention will be paid to the co-operative contribution to the development of particular retail forms and spaces, such as the department store where co-operative architecture was of importance in advancing the wider spread in Britain of modern forms and styles derived from continental Europe.