Whilst the Rochdale Pioneers have an important place in the history of the co-operative movement, they were by no means the first consumer co-operative (they were not even the first in Rochdale....). But it is from them that the modern movement's principles can trace its roots. The Rochdale Co-Op remained independent until it merged with the larger United Co-Operatives, which in turn became part of the Co-Operative Group - the largest, but by no means the only, Co-operative society in the country.