Central Union of Consumer Societies of the Russian Federation (Centrosoyuz)

The Central Union of Consumer Societies of the Russian Federation (Центросоюз, Centrosoyuz) is the national apex organisation of Russia's consumer cooperative system, headquartered in Moscow, with a history dating back to the Tsarist era — its predecessor, the Moscow Union of Consumer Societies, was founded in the late nineteenth century, and it became a member of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) in 1903. During the Soviet period, consumer cooperatives at all levels nationwide were incorporated into the territorially organised Centrosoyuz system. Today the union leads a consumer cooperative system with more than 180 years of history, covering more than 70 regions of the country, some 2,000-plus consumer cooperatives and several million members, making it the core institution of the Russian cooperative movement.