Fællesforeningen for Danmarks Brugsforeninger

FDB (Danish: Fællesforeningen for Danmarks Brugsforeninger, "Danish Consumers Cooperative Society") is a cooperative based in Denmark. In 2011, the coop had over 1.6 million members out of a Danish population of 5.5 million, 1.1 million of whom used active accounts and 3,400 of whom were involved in the cooperative's decision making.

History

An association of cooperatives formed in Zealand in 1884 was first named the Fællesforeningen for Danmarks Brugsforeninger, but the present FDB was founded in 1896 from a merger between that association and the cooperative association for Jutland. In 1897, it began forming its own factories and brands, some of which – like Cirkel-brand coffee – continue to be successful although most were shuttered in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1918, it helped form the NAF (Nordisk Andels Forbund, "Nordic Coop Federation") which later became Coop Norden AB. In 1952, it opened the first viable supermarket in the Faroes at Thorshavn.