At its annual meeting last week, Sun Valley Co-op shared with its members some of the highlights and challenges it faced in 2024
The co-operative’s locations in Altona, Dominion City, Morris, Emerson, and St. Jean Baptiste reported an overall downturn in sales—$60.8 million, compared to $65.2M the year before—but general manager Brad Iverson explained that petroleum depletion was the biggest contributor on that front.
“During 2024, the government removed the taxes and, based on the volume that we do, it makes a significant impact in sales at the end of the day,” he said.
“Overall net savings finished at $2.1 million compared to $3.6 million the year prior,” Iverson went on to note. “Lower FCL [Federated Co-operatives Limited, of which Sun Valley Co-op is a member] allocations played the biggest role in reduced earnings for 2024.”
Nonetheless, the Co-op was able to distribute a total of $1.97M of the year’s savings to its members by way of patronage allocations. Sun Valley has 8,649 members, 7,144 of whom are considered active.
“Sun Valley Co-op is locally-invested, community-minded, and continues to focus on lifetime membership benefits,” Iverson said. “In the tradition of giving back, over the past five years $10.7 million has been allocated to our members, with over $8.8 million being paid back in cash.
“Further donations totaling $120,000 were given in 2024 to various clubs and organizations for the betterment of our communities,” he shared. “This of course would not be possible without the continued support of you, our members.
“It’s nothing new to the Co-op system,” Iverson observed of the company’s commitment to supporting local projects. “It’s who we are. Almost every group, school, organization, we touch in some way, shape, or form. Throughout the year we had our event trailer that was traveling around all the different communities putting on barbecues. And obviously there’s the donations to all the groups and organizations. We’re glad to be a part of it and we look forward to doing more of it.”
The year was one of technological advancements at its various locations, Iverson said.
They rolled out new accounting systems, new cash registers at the home centre, and EMV payment upgrades at the cardlocks.
“Like any technology upgrade, it takes time to learn and work through the programming of each system,” Iverson said. “I want to thank the staff for their hard work and fortitude during this time of change, and customers for their patience.”
The EMV upgrades make it easier for people to use debit or credit when paying at the cardlock. There is a bit of a learning curve the first time you use it, but after that it should be smooth sailing, Iverson said, urging customers to contact the Co-op if they have any problems with the system.
“Ultimately, by being able to take debit or credit, it’s going to allow everybody to have access to those sites 24 hours a day,” he said, noting members will no longer need a special card lock card to purchase fuel from these sites.
In other highlights, Iverson shared that the Co-op’s gas bars continue to grow their fresh food options.
“The Altona Gas Bar has now added smoothies,” he said. “This program will be added to the Morris Gas Bar as well in 2026.”
Looking to the future, work is underway on renovations on the building next to the Co-op Home Centre in Altona.
“This location will be the future home of a new flooring store called Elements by Co-op,” Iverson said. “Once complete, we will have a dedicated space with improved selections of flooring, blinds, and bathroom fixtures to improve your shopping experience.
“We hope to be open in March of 2026. This transition will also provide more space in our current home centre to expand our product offerings.”
On the board side of things, James Nickel, Eric Vetter, and Lionel Ewbank’s three-year terms came to an end this fall.
Nickel let his name stand for another term. The board also received one new nomination: Carly Friesen.
Both Nickel and Friesen were acclaimed as directors, joining Kevin Bell, James Klaassen, Donna Wolters, and Bryce Groening.
Bell, who serves as board president, noted they have high hopes for the year ahead.
“This year seems to be in a better situation, and hopefully we can come back with really big earnings for next year,” he said.
