PUMPING UP THE HUSKIES. A portion of the proceeds from Community Pumps at Mega! CO-OP locations will benefit local schools and organizations. This one, at 4304 Jeffers Road, benefits North High School. (Submitted photo)

Since it was founded nearly 90 years ago – and whether it was selling groceries or gasoline – community support has been key to the longevity of the Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire. Better known as Mega! CO-OP, the member-owned cooperative recently relaunched itself with a new partnership for its convenience stores and new branding after emerging from bankruptcy.

Mega! CO-OP now operates 13 convenience stores, the majority in the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls area but also as far away as Barron and New Lisbon. Another 13 stores were closed as part of the bankruptcy process.

“The next year is about reintroducing and refocusing ourselves on our community,” CEO Mike Buck said in a recent interview. This reintroduction is necessary because of some branding changes: The convenience stores – once known as Mega Express and then as Mega Holiday – are now independent stations selling BP branded fuel. The stores were rebranded over the summer, so customers have likely noticed new signs popping up. 

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We will continue to strengthen our community ties, provide friendly service and a positive shopping experience, and plan to ensure a sustainable future for Mega! CO-OP.

MIKE BUCK

CEO, Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire

But the changes go beyond exterior signage: Buck says the stores have been remodeled and reimagined inside, too. Now that they’re independent and not franchised, he said, the stores can have a more local feel. This extends to new food options, including thick-crust Detroit-style pizza, fresh-made sandwiches and wraps, and new coffee choices, including bean-to-cup options. While there are still plenty of national brands on the shelves, “We really are highlighting the things that we think are going to be unique to the store,” Buck said.

Despite the changes, the business remains a cooperative with more than 20,000 members. Co-op members receive a 5-cent discount on every gallon of fuel they buy as well as other discounts and perks. (All customers can receive a 5-cent-per-gallon discount if they pay inside with cash.)

New initiatives also include Mega! Community Pumps: A portion of the proceeds from these specially labeled gas pumps will be donated to local schools, fire departments, or other nonprofits. In Eau Claire, keep your eyes open for Old Abes, Huskies, and Ramblers pumps.

The co-op has deep roots in the Chippewa Valley, having been formed in 1935 as the Eau Claire Farmer-Labor Cooperative Association to buy a load of coal. Soon renamed the Consumers Cooperative Association of Eau Claire, the co-op grew to include a downtown Eau Claire gas station and the Co-op Shopping Center on Highland Avenue. Eventually, the co-op operated three grocery stores as well. In 2016, the grocery businesses were swapped for 14 convenience stores then owned and operated by Chippewa Falls-based Gordy’s Markets (which went out of business a few years later).

Consumers Cooperative Association filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2023, saying at the time that the process would “allow the co-op to address its capital structure to strengthen its business for the long term.” It announced last June that it was exiting bankruptcy after a federal bankruptcy court approved its reorganization plan.

Buck said the co-op is “excited to embark on this new chapter” post-bankruptcy. “We will continue to strengthen our community ties, provide friendly service and a positive shopping experience, and plan to ensure a sustainable future for Mega! CO-OP,” he said.

Learn more about the co-op and find a current list of its convenience store locations at megacoop.com.