Prairie North Co-op Welcomes You

Prairie North Co-op operates out of 25 locations – from St. Brieux, Spalding and Naicam in the west; to Melfort and Brooksby in the north; and Archerwill and Kelvington in the east. We serve our members with products and services that help build, feed, fuel and grow the communities in which we live and do business. As a co-operative, we are a different kind of business; we are not only working for our communities, but we are also owned by our community. Co-ops embed sustainability in their business by planning and investing for the long term, with the community and environment in mind; they work to create jobs; and they partner with other organizations and local businesses. Prairie North Co-op profits do not leave the community, they go back into it – and back to our members. We take pride in our community involvement and our commitment to providing quality products and services.

Prairie North Co-op employs 320 and serves 13,426 members. We continue the tradition of giving back through financial support to several local organizations. In 2024, sponsorship and donations totalled $148,295 to over 200 different organizations in our trading area. Locally invested. Community-minded. Lifetime membership benefits. We are Co-op.

2025 MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER TO MEMBERSHIP

Prairie North Co-op is pleased to advise its membership that allocations have been made based on 2024 purchases.

After a focus on growth and positioning our co-operative to serve our members for the foreseeable future, 2024 saw the focus shift to maximizing operational efficiencies.

Fiscal 2024 did come with its own unique set of challenges. Late June saw the entire Co-op retailing system fall victim to a cyber security attack. This event negatively impacted operations in every commodity and every location of Prairie North Co-op as well as all other Co-ops throughout western Canada. Deliveries from our warehouses, functionality of our card locks and all our till systems were impacted. The situation took several weeks to be resolved to the point where our stores were running at capacity. I need to thank the membership for their patience and loyalty during the cyber security incident.

A second reality that had an impact on our bottom line is our relationship with Federated Co-operatives Ltd. 2024 saw their profits reduced due in part to the aforementioned cyber-attack, as well as the economics around the refinery and the energy business in general. These factors resulted in a patronage refund for 2024 that was over 30% less than 2023.

Typically, the Co-op allocates based on our profits the majority of which are because of our relationship with FCL and the returns they send us on their profits. Historically we have received between 6 to 12 cents per litre from FCL on our petroleum purchases.

Considering all the factors outlined above, the decision was made to return 1.26% on petroleum purchases whether they be through bulk fuel, card-lock or retail pumps. Unfortunately, we were unable to allocate on other commodities for 2024.

In closing, I need to thank you, our members and customers, for your support, patience and understanding in 2024. As we optimize efficiencies, practise fiscal restraint, and pay down debt, we are continuing to strive for increased profits which will lead to cash back and equity returns. The facilities we have recently added and/or upgraded are all projected to improve our long-term operational sustainability.

Sincerely, Terry Tremblay, General Manager Prairie North Co-op

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