!!!Konsumgenossenschaften

Consumer Cooperatives (Consumer Associations): The first consumer 
cooperatives in Austria were founded in 1856 by spinning-mill workers 
in Teesdorf (Lower Austria). In 1864 17 Viennese weavers 
established the "Erster Niederoesterreichischer 
Arbeiter-Consumverein" ("First Lower Austrian Workers' 
Consumer Cooperative"); others rapidly followed. Farmers in 
Vorarlberg established the first consumer association. In 1901-1903 
the "Zentralverband oesterreichischer Konsumvereine" was 
established as an independent umbrella organisation of consumer 
associations, and in 1905 the GOeC (Grosseinkaufsgesellschaft 
oesterreichischer Consumvereine, "Wholesale Association of 
Austrian Consumer Associations") was founded. In 1934 the 
independence of the consumers' administrations was revoked. After 
1945, cooperatives, primarily regional and local ones, were 
re-established. In 1978 the "Konsum Oesterreich" 
("Konsum Austria") was established through the merger of 16 
cooperatives with 717,000 members. 800 stores (including "Coop 
Diskontmaerkte", "Der frische Konsum", 
"KGM-Verbrauchermaerkte", and department stores) produced 
most of the Konsum cooperative's retail turnover. (In 1993: 31.5 
billion S turnover; 17,208 employees); Konsum Oesterreich became 
insolvent and preventive composition was instituted in 1995.


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