A cooperative is a legal entity owned and democratically controlled by its members. Members often have a close association with the company as producers or consumers of its products or services, or as its employees. The cooperative movement has been fueled globally by ideas of economic democracy in the mid-nineteenth century. Economic democracy is a socioeconomic philosophy that suggests an expansion of decision-making power from a small minority of corporate shareholders to a larger majority of public stakeholders...The applicant (EDEKA e.V.) is formed as an association and is the top body in the EDEKA community and a community member itself. All other EDEKA community members are affiliated cooperatives and other group companies, such as a bank and wholesale distributors, and about 4,500 grocery retailers who are member (shareholder) of one of the nine cooperatives and merchants who operate some 6,300 stores altogether. As such, EDEKA e.V. is essentially an entrepreneurs’ association" | A cooperative is a legal entity owned and democratically controlled by its members. Members often have a close association with the company as producers or consumers of its products or services, or as its employees. The cooperative movement has been fueled globally by ideas of economic democracy in the mid-nineteenth century. Economic democracy is a socioeconomic philosophy that suggests an expansion of decision-making power from a small minority of corporate shareholders to a larger majority of public stakeholders...The applicant (EDEKA e.V.) is formed as an association and is the top body in the EDEKA community and a community member itself. All other EDEKA community members are affiliated cooperatives and other group companies, such as a bank and wholesale distributors, and about 4,500 grocery retailers who are member (shareholder) of one of the nine cooperatives and merchants who operate some 6,300 stores altogether. As such, EDEKA e.V. is essentially an entrepreneurs’ association" |