Co-op has put plans for the next intake of its Apiary incubator programme on ice, shelving a key route to market for new small food brands, The Grocer can reveal.
The convenience retailer launched its fifth hunt for applicants to the scheme in February. The initiative gives suppliers the chance to secure a listing at Co-op stores, coupled with hands-on support including free access to sales data, personalised mentoring and a supplier peer network.
Yesterday (16 April), however, the Co-op informed brands shortlisted for the scheme that it was pausing the recruitment process and could not say when it would resume.
“As a business, we have taken the decision to pause recruitment for the Apiary cohort,” the update said. “During this period, we have been undertaking a broader review, which is why we haven’t been able to confirm next steps sooner.
“At this time, we don’t have a timeline for how or when recruitment may resume. We will share an update if and when there is further information and kindly ask that you do not chase in the meantime.
“We apologise for the delay and would like to thank you for taking the time to present your brands to us. It was a pleasure to meet you all, and we wish you every success in continuing to build your brands in the future.”
‘Very disappointing’
It is understood 20 brands had been shortlisted and were asked to pitch and provide samples of their products over a two-day period in early March.
Those businesses believed the process was ongoing until they were told yesterday that Co-op was pausing the recruitment process.
One of the shortlisted brands affected said: “They must know that challenger brands are time-poor, and after putting in that time, effort and expense into travelling and putting our pitches together it is very disappointing. The whole thing feels at odds with Co-op values.”
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Since the first wave of products were launched in Co-op stores through The Apiary’s programme in 2022, some 34 suppliers have seen their products listed on shelves, with 86 new product lines brought to market as a result.
The latest cohort saw HM Pasties introduced into 80 Greater Manchester stores late last year, followed by Chu Lo Drinks, which launched into 600 Co-op stores from today. Still Sisters, Up Up Chocolate and Only with Love (No-Lo Brewery) are also due to appear in their relevant category space in Co-op stores shortly.
“It would be such a shame to lose the Co-op Apiary,” said Wild Thingz founder Fliss Newland. “As challenger brands, it is so hard to cut through into grocery retail without schemes like this.
“After leaving a big corporate, I felt first-hand how the odds feel stacked against you vs the ‘big boys’ with bigger budgets, bigger brands and bigger teams.
“At Wild Thingz, the Apiary was our first step on to the shelves, and the mentoring, learning and support has been incredible, not to mention having access to EPoS data for our brand sales.
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“[Access to] Circana category sales data wouldn’t normally be possible within our budget. Having it has enabled so much greater understanding to shape the brand, our positioning, our pricing strategy as well as proving to be the perfect ‘use case’ to help unlock other listings.”
Chu Lo Drinks founder Stephanie Buttery said: “The access to data, experience and the confidence you get from the team in the Apiary scheme has allowed us grow our business in a safe space when there are no stupid questions.
“We are proof that this scheme is a proper route to commercial success for small brands. It empowers you to get into category space and into other bigger accelerator schemes like Tesco.”
The Co-op’s ongoing crisis
The Co-op Group has not provided an explanation for the review but the mutual is experiencing a period of significant upheaval. A restructure of its buying function in the autumn following last year’s cyberattack and the creation of a Group Commercial & Logistics division under former Food MD Matt Hood has resulted in a number of senior departures, including Co-op commercial director Rebecca Oliver-Mooney, who was running the Apiary programme. She left in January to join functional soft drinks brand Hip Pop.
As well as an ongoing search for a Food MD to replace Hood, the Co-op Group is also searching for a permanent successor to Group CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq who left last month. Kate Allum, a member-nominated board director, has taken temporary charge as interim CEO.
The Co-op Group also announced plans earlier this month to merge with Southern Co-op. The merger is awaiting approval from Southern Co-op members, with a decision expected next month.
If approved, the proposal will result in Southern Co-op’s 300,000 members and 300 food, funeral and Starbucks coffee branches across the south of England consolidating with Co-op Group. Co-op Group comprises over seven million members and operates over 2,300 food stores, 800 funeral homes and a wholesale business supplying around 8,000 outlets.
A Co-op spokesman said: “Co-op’s Apiary programme continues to provide successful exposure for a number of challenger brands, and we are delighted that many of the latest cohort are increasing their store number listings with their products moving into relevant mainstream category shelf space in our stores. At this time, we have paused recruitment for another new cohort, and continue to focus efforts on the existing Apiary brands we have in place.”
The Co-op also pointed out that the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) published the findings from its 2026 Survey on 16 April, which surveys suppliers to assess how fairly designated retailers are treating them and how well they’re complying with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP).
Co-op climbed from seventh to fourth in the GSCOP 2026 rankings, with its overall compliance remaining stable at 95.82%.
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