Board of Directors Revises the Co-op Ends

After nearly a year of meetings, discussions and edits, the Board unanimously voted to add a fifth statement to our Ends policy.

Building a community based on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Adding this End, formalizes our co-op's commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion; and it will have a lasting impact on store operations, hiring, sourcing, training and product mix. The Merc Co+op is more than the stores we operate. We are a community of people with values. We look forward to a new year and the continued effort of our GM and her team to act on, interpret and measure how we will meet this new statement and all of our Ends.  

2023 Change Recipients Announcement

2023 Change Recipients Announcement

The Merc Co+op is excited to announce the recipients of the 2023 Change for our Community program. “Change” gives shoppers the opportunity to donate their spare change to local organizations every time they shop. Each month, a different organization is featured as the recipient, and 100% of all donations collected go to that specific organization.

In fiscal year 2022, we - as a co-op community - raised $85,484. Since the program began in January 2014, we have raised over $601,000 for 57 local nonprofits. 

2022 Lawrence Remodel

2022 Lawrence Remodel

On Monday, May 16 our co-op's board of directors voted to approve a financing plan for the purpose of remodeling our Lawrence store. This October, payments on our building at 901 Iowa will be completed, allowing our business to sustainably reinvest in its flagship location.

The remodel will occur in two phases. Phase One will take place this summer with a focus on expanding our restrooms, adding an additional full service register lane and creating a more welcoming employee break room. To make this possible, we will modify the Coffee + Juice Bar and merge our classroom with the café. Phase Two (early 2023) will follow with a necessary replacement of our refrigeration rack which has reached the end of its useful life and is beyond its maximum capacity. Replacing it with a modern, higher efficiency rack will reduce the store's carbon footprint.

The Merc Co+op alongside NCG Condemns White Supremacy and Racially Motivated Violence

The Merc Co+op alongside NCG Condemns White Supremacy and Racially Motivated Violence

The Merc Co+op alongside National Co+op Grocers (NCG) is heartbroken by this weekend’s senseless violence against the Black community in Buffalo, NY in a racially motivated domestic terrorist incident that took the lives of 10 people and wounded 3 more. We grieve with the families of those whose lives were taken and with everyone who is suffering in the Black community. As one grocer to another, we extend solidarity and empathy to the staff and shoppers of Tops Market on Jefferson, where this brutal act took place.

FAQs During COVID-19

FAQs During COVID-19

The health and safety of our co-op community is our highest priority. As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread throughout the country, here are some answers to the frequently asked questions about what The Merc Co+op is doing to help protect both you and our employees.

Grocery Store Partnership Strengthens Fight Against COVID in Kansas City, KS

Grocery Store Partnership Strengthens Fight Against COVID in Kansas City, KS

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven community organizations across the nation to come up with more innovative vaccination strategies. In what was once a downtown food desert in Kansas City, KS, that innovation has materialized as a unique relationship between a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) supporting better health outcomes in underserved areas, a local cooperative grocer, and a non-profit organization servicing the needs of the Hispanic community.