Nilsson, Jerker
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
This study presents a literature review about mergers of agricultural cooperatives. Since about 1950, merger waves have caused a sharp decline in the number of cooperatives in Western economies. Financially weak cooperatives are acquired by financially stronger neighboring cooperatives, whereby the members of the former cooperative may continue their farming operations. Merging memberships is, however, more difficult than merging cooperative business firms. The case of a merger in the Swedish grain marketing and farm supply industry illustrates the conceptual framework. As knowledge of mergers is essential to understanding the cooperative business model, suggestions for further research are provided.
Keywords
Grain marketing; farm supplies; merger wave; consolidation; amalgamation; membership
Published in
Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management
2026, volume: 14, number: 1, article number: 100281
Publisher: ELSEVIER
SLU Authors
Hakelius, Karin
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
UKÄ Subject classification
Business Administration
Agricultural Economics and Management and Rural development
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcom.2026.100281
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/146604