Two co-op businesses, both started in 1929, have decided to amalgamate under Valleyview Consumers Co-op Ltd. following voting, Nov. 15 in Virden and Nov. 16 in Kenton.
Through previous amalgamation, Virden-based Valleyview opened stores in the Melita trading area. Valleyview will now reach northeast to Kenton/Oak River communities.
In two vote nights, members spoke with an overwhelming “Yes” to the merger, with just four “No” votes. General Manager for Valleyview Co-op Dave Wowk confirmed the strength of membership vote to amalgamate as 99.2 % of Kenton Consumers Co-operative voting in favour; and in the Virden vote, 96.9% were in favour of amalgamating.
Wowk said, “I think the board of directors was extremely happy about the results.”
They were also happy with overall voter turn-out, with 334 votes cast. There were 199 Valleyview voters and the next evening, 137 members voted in Kenton out of a combined membership of about 9,300. Of the nearly 800 memberships in Kenton, some also held memberships in Valleyview.
Anxious to see Kenton keep its services, some of those Kenton-based Valleyview members drove to Virden to vote. One such member stated, “I don’t think there will be a store in town if we don’t [amalgamate]. I just don’t think it can carry on.”
Kenton Consumers Co-operative Ltd., which includes Oak River’s grocery store, will officially become Valleyview Consumers Co-op Ltd. when a new, combined Board of Directors takes office Feb. 4, 2018.
