National Federation of Consumer's and Retail Co-operatives Federconsumo was founded on 24 December 1976. The Federation, which represents, assists and protects the sector member co-operatives, is part of Confcooperative. Mission Within the framework of the general policy guidelines of Confcooperative and in pursuance of its own Rules, Federconsumo outlines the action of the sector and collaborates in the preparation of strategies and the achievement of Confcooperative's general aims; it also promotes and encourages the member co-operatives in relation to the various commodity or activity sectors, assists them both technically and represents them in the making of labour agreements and national collective contracts. Membership Federconsumo membership include consumer and retailer co-operatives. In the consumer sector are also included electricity co-operative while in the retailer sector are also included pharmacists' co-operatives. The members operate in many different ways; some, like Conitcoop (a Federation's national consortium), provide services to a wider range of enterprises than its membership, others have more specific characteristics but their operations, philosophies and strategies differ greatly (Sigma, Crai) the presence of non-food sectors (textiles - clothing - pharmaceuticals) makes them inter-sectoral. President: Pierluigi Angeli e-mail: federconsumo@confcooperative.it