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Becoming a Member

Mica Co-operative
Mica Co-operative

Co-operatives UK
Co-operatives UK

Co-operative Principles
Co-operative Principles

Mica is open to any independent retailer who sells or would like to sell DIY products in a retail store environment.

We currently have around fifty five stores around in all four nations of the UK, varying from Central London to the Scottish Islands. If you’re looking for a group that puts you first, with a family feel and first name basis, Mica is definitely for you.

Our Structure...

Originally setup in 1996 with help from a similar group of retailers in South Africa, Mica in the UK is now a retailer co-operative, meaning we are wholly owned by our Members. That means all employees of the group work for the Members benefit as a whole, and no one else.

The co-operative ownership model means each retailer holds a single ownership voting share in our group, so it is they who determine the direction of the business, through forums, meetings & electing directors to the Mica Board from the Membership.

What kind of group of independent retailers would we be who didn’t have concern for the community, or exercise democratic Member control?

Following our registration and approval as a co-op in 2010, we have a legally bound constitution which provides for and protects Members rights in the co-operative framework. In their most simple form, all co-ops are founded on a basis set of principles that set the foundation for the work we do, and we’ve found in the last decade that they work in great harmony with a Membeship organisation.

In 2019 Mica joined up with Bira (the British Independent Retailers Association) to further promote strength in numbers in independent retail, with Bira becoming a major shareholder but members retaining their voice through our status as an independent cooperative company. Both companies have the shared goal of being champions for the high street independent retailer, so it was a natural fit for our two businesses to work together in areas of shared interest and pool resources such as a shared head office.

As a result all Mica members are now also Bira members, and you can read more about the benefits of Bira membership on the Bira page of our website here.

Our Charges

A common question the Mica team is often asked is, what is the annual cost of Mica Membership. The answer may surprise you!

There are no ongoing costs to Mica Membership, nor excessive signup fees.

As Bira members, there is a small annual membership fee to Bira for the services they offer, but Mica has no annual fees and all our membership fee is a one off cost returned to you in share capital.

As a group, our main request from members is that new retailers participate in the group through the marketing and buying services the group offers, as well as display representation of the brand on your shop frontage to ensure your customers identify the marketing (and suppliers know you’re a member!). Through continued growth of both the buying power we will be able to provide better deals to all Members, and with greater marketing involvement quantities of scale reduce costs for all participants, making it a win-win for all concerned.

There are many other benefits to Mica membership for independent retailers, please read on through our website, fill out the details in the join us box or contact us on the telephone number above for more information.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Application Form