Islanders respond to Coop dividend rate

Mandy is smiling at the camera as she stands on a pavement on a lane. She is wearing sunglasses and a small rucksack. Her dark and grey hair is pinned into a top knot.
Image caption,

CI Coop member Mandy said she was "very happy" with the 2% rate

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People in Guernsey have been responding to the Channel Islands' Co-operative's dividend announcement.

On Wednesday the business said it would pay members a 2% dividend rate, the same rate as last year, despite it having returned to profitability in 2024 after a £1.8m loss in 2023.

Chief executive Mark Cox said the business "would love to get back to a 4% dividend rate" but the members had said they appreciated the immediate benefits of reduced in-store member prices.

Member Mandy said she was "very happy" with the dividend rate as "anything is better than nothing as far as I'm concerned".

John is smiling at the camera and he looks a little cheeky. He is standing near a CI Coop store and there is a road, street light and CI Coop parking sign behind him. He is wearing a pair of glasses and a blue checked shirt and he has short white hair.
Image caption,

John said he thought the dividend rate should be higher since the business had made a profit

Another member, Jane, said she found the offers "very good" and she was "quite happy" with the dividend rate.

"I wasn't expecting anything at all," she said.

She added: "I'm actually quite happy because I feel the prices are quite good, they have Coop member prices and they're quite good deals, and I find their offers are very good."

However, a third CI Coop member, John, said the 2% dividend rate was "not really fair".

He said: "Last year it was 2% and yet they made such a profit this year so it should be more, really - 5% would be more fair.

"We've all been loyal to the Coop and it's spoken about that the dividend is not paying up these last few years."

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