Why should customers become Members of the Barossa Co-op?
Barossa Co-op is 100% owned by the community. By becoming a member, you support the ongoing purpose of ‘Making Living in Barossa Better’ by contributing to the community’s wealth through increased employment opportunities and financial contribution.
What benefits do members get if they join?
Becoming a member of Barossa Co-op provides ongoing access to:
- Member only discounts
- Exclusive promotions
- Events
- Rebates* on the purchases they have made over the year
- Equal voting rights on the direction of Barossa Co-op business
- Accruing interest on funds** held in their membership account
What stores can members use their Barossa Co-op membership at?
Members can use their Barossa Co-op membership at the following Barossa Co-op owned businesses:
- Barossa Fresh – in-store and online
- Barossa Mitre 10
- Betta Home Living
- Orchard Lane
- Barossa Homewares
- Rod & Spur
- Barossa Sports
- Barossa Toyworld
- Barossa Workwear
- The Design Studio
How much does a Membership cost?
- A once off $10 fee – no ongoing fees. Just think, its approximately the cost of two medium size cups of coffee! In one grocery shop in Barossa Fresh supermarket, you could save the $10 membership fee.
- At the time a customer joins to be a member, they will automatically have a ‘rebate account’ and a ‘membership or share equity’ account opened.
What is a customer rebate?
As a co-operative, all members may get the opportunity to benefit from net profits generated through any given financial year* in the form of a ‘rebate’. The rebate is calculated on the members’ eligible purchases made during that given financial year and is paid either as a redeemable voucher to be used across any of Barossa Co-op’s retail businesses or is transferred to the member’s rebate account.
* The allocation of rebates is subject to Board approval each financial year
** As a ‘shareholder’ OR Member of the Barossa Co-op, members will earn interest on the $10 initial fee paid and on any additional investments/payments made into Barossa Co-op.
*** Barossa Fresh member discounts based on the average of buying seven plus products with an average membership discount of $1.50 per product
Can customers join online?
Yes. Customers can join online. Simply visit https://barossa.coop/membership/ complete the online application, pay your fee and you will have the option to have your membership card posted to your nominated address or collect from our friendly Service Desk in the Barossa Central Shopping Centre.
What can Members do if they don’t have their membership card on them?
Members can either:
- Check with the checkout operator/customer service person whether they can look up their member number on the point-of-sale system
- Download the Stocard app and store the membership card on the app
- Take a clear photo of the membership card number and save it in their mobile phone to refer to when required.
What happens if the Member loses or has their membership card stolen?
If a member loses their card they can simply ring or visit our friendly membership service desk in the Barossa Central shopping centre to have their membership card cancelled and replaced with a new one. Customers can decide to either pick it up or have it posted. There is no cost for the replacement card.
What personal information is requested from you?
We are required by State Law to maintain contact with members. Therefore, we require members to provide their;
- Postal address
- Email details
- Telephone number (mobile and/or landline)
This information is held securely and is not accessible by any person outside the Barossa Co-op.
What rebates will customers get?
The percentage of rebate available to members from net profits is determined by the Barossa Co-op Board every financial year and depends on several factors, including the generation of net profits, the amount of money required to further reinvest back into Barossa Co-op.
How are rebates calculated?
If a rebate is declared, the rebate amount paid to members is determined by the dollar value of their eligible* purchases across that given financial year.
Example – rebate pool available for all members is $200,000**
The Barossa Co-op Board declares a rebate of 0.25% on qualifying purchases for that given financial year.
One member has used their membership card and purchased $2,800 of goods from Barossa Co-op businesses over the given financial year. This is the instant discount received when making a purchase from a check out.
The rebate available for that member is calculated as: 0.25% (0.0025c) x $2,800 purchases = $7.00 rebate payable.
Can Members invest more money with Barossa Co-op apart from joining and paying a membership fee?
Yes. Members are welcome to invest their money with Barossa Co-op. Barossa Co-op offers two per cent over the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) interest rate. Terms and conditions apply.
Why are Members requested to provide a Tax File Number (TFN)?
Federal Tax Law requires that Barossa Co-op reports to the Australian Tax Office all payments made for shareholder interest by personal TFN. Members will see this amount automatically posts to their tax return. Where Barossa Co-op cannot quote a TFN, the law requires that we withhold a taxation portion of any interest and pay that to the ATO.
* Some products are not eligible Member discounts and therefore are not included in rebate calculations.
** The available rebate pool is determined by the Barossa Co-op Board. This is determined by applying a % to retained Net Profit monies at the end of a financial year.
What are the benefits of investing $ with the Barossa Co-op?
By investing in the Barossa Co-op, Members will benefit from:
- Interest on funds invested guaranteed 2% over the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) interest rate
- Contribution to the Barossa Co-op’s funds for operations – as a community owned business, this is an investment in the community and supports the company purpose of ‘Making Living in Barossa better’.
What terms and conditions should Members be aware of when investing dollars with Barossa Co-op?
The main Terms and conditions apply;
- A member must hold a minimum of one (1) fully paid member share (membership) in Barossa Co-op and they are limited to investing no more than 20 per cent of all issued shares
- The right to vote is attached to being a member not how much money has been invested in Barossa Co-op.
- A share may not be sold or transferred except with the consent of the Board and to a person that is also a member of Barossa Co-op
- Refer to the Co-operative Rules for other terms and conditions located on our website https://barossa.coop/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/rules-of-the-community-co-operative-store-nuriootpa-ltd.pdf
Can part of the monies invested by Members be withdrawn?
Yes. Members can request to withdraw part of their money invested in Barossa Co-op. This is subject to Board approval. Members will need to complete a form to request partial withdrawal or cancel their membership. The form can be completed online at https://barossa.coop/membership/ or by visiting the Service Desk located in Barossa Central. This cancellation application will then be submitted to the Barossa Co-op Board for approval. With Board approval, your monies will be transferred to your nominated bank account
Can a membership expire?
In order to retain Barossa Co-op membership, members must spend a total of $50 or greater throughout Barossa Co-op owned stores within a period of three years.
Can customers cancel their Membership?
- Yes. Members can cancel their Membership (or shareholding) and the cancellation is subject to Board approval.
What do customers need to do to cancel their Membership and what are the terms and conditions?
- Members will need to complete a form to cancel their membership. The form can be completed online at https://barossa.coop/membership/ or by visiting the Service Desk located in Barossa Central. The cancellation application will then be submitted to the Barossa Co-op Board for approval. With Board approval, member’s monies will be transferred to their nominated bank account.
