The Co-op Midcounties stands as one of the UK’s largest independent co-operative societies, offering a diverse portfolio across food retail, childcare, financial services, and more. Recognising the need to unify the identity of its offerings, it embarked on a comprehensive rebranding journey, with ph as a partner.

Refreshing the corporate identity was only the start. Co-op Midcounties also needed to make the brand real: engaging colleagues at all its branches, and empowering them to embody the new brand in their everyday operations.

With a co-operative, you can’t decide everything from the top down – every voice needs to be heard. So, our collaborative process began with deep stakeholder workshops, joint discovery sessions, and customer research. Next, we refined the brand proposition to focus on human purpose and impact, and crafted an identity and look-and-feel rooted in “doing good together” and a promise of inclusion, sustainability, and community engagement. Enabled by a deep understanding of how the client works, we created new brand guidelines and sub-brand identities, always aligned with Co-op Midcounties’ values and accessibility criteria.

Through a consultative process, we gave Midcounties’ branches the tools they needed to bring an evolved identity to life across multiple business areas. In childcare, we worked closely with Midcounties teams to develop the “Little Pioneers” brand, using storytelling, visual design, and messaging to give families and staff a shared sense of pride and belonging. In retail, ph designers partnered directly with Co-op Food brand managers to introduce a new in-store concept. From layout to signage and customer flow, everything was reimagined to deliver a welcoming, accessible brand experience. In financial services, through close collaboration with financial and corporate brand managers, we helped shape the user journey in a new digital investment portal. Our joint approach to journey mapping, content strategy, and tone of voice ensured that the new platform maximizes accessibility and ease of navigation for every audience. The Co-op Midcounties can now bring its values to life with a brand ecosystem that unites branches and services, drives community pride, and makes ethical choices part of everyday life.