Consumer societies on the territory of Belarus started appearing at the end of the last century as voluntary unions of citizens. The main reason of consumer societies formation was the necessity to resist the monopoly of private trade capital. That is why consumer societies opened trade enterprises for the dues of the shareholders. Originally these shops served only members of its cooperative. From this point on, the shops of consumer societies started serving other citizens as well.

The fact of a century existence of consumer cooperation in Belarus, its mass distribution all over the world is evidence of high vitality of cooperative forms of management. Consumer cooperation had to stand up for its independence and property many times. During the military communism the property of consumer cooperation of the republic was nationalized and returned in 1921, but not in full.

Consumer cooperation played a great part in the market formation in the period of NEP. In 1928 consumer cooperation took 60% in the total retail turnover. The liquidation of NEP resulted in the market collapse, the scope of the activity of consumer cooperation came to growing away.

In 1935 consumer cooperation was removed from towns by administrative measures according to which more attention was paid to rural trade. Two thirds of its enterprises made due to the shareholders’ fees, were withdrawn without compensation and were passed over to the state trading. At the same time initial shares were not paid back to the shareholders. In the towns there remained only cooperative shops and stores selling agricultural products.

In 1949 one more nationalization of cooperative trade took place in towns. In 1965 the whole branch was withdrawn from consumer cooperation without compensation – 2319 consumer services shops. Producer’s cooperative was liquidated in the same way, and its enterprises were passed over to the state local industry. All these facts fundamentally consolidated the market infrastructure.

It should be noted that consumer cooperation, to a greater extent than any other system is prepared for the market economy.

The vitality of consumer cooperation is determined by some peculiarities: first of all by the market; unique possibilities for self-development due to the  interaction of the integrated branches that supplement each other; the presence of a wide range of small enterprises in various spheres that allow to pliantly change its type and the range of goods produced and sold in the market conditions, creating of jobs; foreign economic activity. The base of consumer cooperation is cooperative societies: 118 district, 3 regional consumer societies, that are on a voluntary basis united into 6 regional unions of consumer societies. Consumer societies and regional unions make the Belarusian Republican Union of Consumer Societies – Belcoopsoyuz.