A workers' co-operative may seem an old-fashioned business model, but Calverts has long been ahead of the game in the drive for ethical and environmental practices, while the rest of the sector plays catch-up. Can a business sign up to the socialist ideals of a workers' cooperative yet achieve capitalist success? Surely not. Unless you take into account that last year, the UK's highest profile workers' co-op, the John Lewis Partnership, notched up a 6.3% sales increase, to ￡6.3bn, while also handing staff a 20% bonus. How many of the nation's printers are healthy enough to offer every worker an extra 10 weeks' pay? Customers have a smile on their faces too. A 6,000-shopper survey of the UK's favourite retailers gave the group a podium finish, with John Lewis and Waitrose taking first and second places.
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