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Co-op Direct connection · Convenience Grocery Last reviewed: August 2026
🇬🇧 UK Direct

Co-op EDI,
working in the background.

Supply Lens automates the Co-op Group supplier document cycle. Purchase orders in, despatch advices, invoices and credit notes out, mapped to your ERP or IMS with the right depot codes, supplier IDs and Co-op tolerance rules built in.

Orders in
Purchase orders handled automatically
Every Co-op purchase order lands in your ERP without manual intervention
Direct connection
Nothing to set up on your side
Direct link to Co-op's gateway, set up and maintained by us
Credit notes too
Adjustments handled in the same flow
Co-op is one of very few retailers that accepts credit notes over the connection
99.9%
Uptime SLA
Monitored around the clock, helping keep documents within transmission windows
Supply Lens · Co-op Live Flow Live
Co-op PO COP-2026-40817 received via direct connection · 36× line A · 60× line B · depot routing resolved PO IN
EANs mapped · location resolved Depot code matched · supplier code confirmed · pricing applied PROCESSING
Sales order SO-31776 created ERP / IMS · 96 units · ref COP-2026-40817 CREATED
Despatch advice sent Pallet detail confirmed · depot booking reference attached ASN OUT
Invoice transmitted to Co-op £6,140.20 · validated against PO · confirmed received SENT
Credit note raised and sent 2× short-delivered line · matched to original invoice CREDIT
Co-op-Specific Requirements

Orders in, four documents out.
The detail is in the rules.

Co-op's flow looks straightforward on paper. The work is in the supplier and depot codes, the tolerance rules on every invoice, the despatch advice timing and the format Co-op expects each message to follow. Get any of it wrong and you eat a deduction. Supply Lens is configured for those rules out of the box.

Direct connection

Co-op receives supplier documents through a direct connection. Supply Lens manages the certificates, the partner profile and the gateway on your behalf, so you have no gateway of your own to build, run or maintain.

Message format handled

Co-op uses the long-established UK retail message format, as most large UK grocers still do. Supply Lens generates and reads it correctly so the format stays invisible from your ERP's point of view. The order just arrives.

EAN to item code mapping

Co-op identifies products by GS1 EAN and an internal product reference. Supply Lens maintains a cross-reference table mapping both to your own item codes, so the order lands correctly in your ERP regardless of which identifier Co-op sends.

Invoice tolerance rules

Co-op applies strict invoice matching on price and quantity. Supply Lens validates the invoice against the originating purchase order and your agreed cost list before transmission, flagging any discrepancy for review rather than sending it and risking a deduction later.

Depot routing

Each Co-op purchase order names a destination depot by code. Supply Lens maps every active Co-op location to the correct routing in your warehouse system, so the order lands against the right depot in your ERP without manual intervention.

Credit notes accepted

Most retailers will not take a credit note over the connection, so suppliers end up raising them by hand. Co-op does accept them. Supply Lens matches each credit against the original invoice and sends it through the same flow, so short deliveries, returns and price corrections settle without a manual process running alongside.

Document Flow

Every document.
Every direction.
Automatically.

Supply Lens handles the full Co-op document set inbound and outbound, so documents are produced and transmitted automatically, without manual rekeying.

  • Purchase orders received and validated against your supplier profile
  • Invoices pre-validated against the purchase order and your agreed Co-op cost list before transmission
  • Despatch advices sent as goods leave, with pallet detail and depot booking reference attached
  • Credit notes raised, matched to the original invoice and transmitted through the same connection
  • Tolerance, depot and pricing rules applied per message automatically
  • All Co-op-specific document structures generated and read correctly without your team seeing the format
Co-op document cycle
Purchase Order INBOUND
Co-op
Despatch advice OUTBOUND
Co-op
Invoice (pre-validated) OUTBOUND
Co-op
Credit Note OUTBOUND
Co-op
What's mapped automatically
Co-op reference Resolved automatically
Depot location codes
Pre-loaded
Product EANs and Co-op product references
Resolved per order
Cost list and promotional pricing
Applied per line
Tax and currency
UK VAT, GBP
Configuration

Configured for Co-op.
Connected to your
system.

Supply Lens holds Co-op's rules and the connection itself so you don't have to. Your team provides credentials, product mappings and the agreed cost list. Everything else lives in the Supply Lens layer.

1

Co-op supplier onboarding

Your Co-op supplier code, GLN and trading partner profile registered with Co-op's gateway. Supply Lens manages the connection identifiers and certificates, so there is no setup needed your side.

2

EAN and product cross-reference

Co-op EANs and product references mapped to your item codes. Pack-size variants, promotional lines and multi-pack SKUs are handled automatically once their cross-reference is established.

3

Depot routing and entity mapping

Each Co-op depot code mapped to your correct warehouse, customer account or entity in your ERP, so orders route cleanly to the right despatch point on receipt.

4

Tolerance, pricing and credits

Your agreed Co-op cost list registered for invoice validation. Tolerance rules applied per supplier agreement, and credit notes matched to the invoice they correct, so discrepancies surface your side first.

EAN → item code cross-reference
Co-op reference Your item code
50142880031001 AMB-BEAN-400G
50142880031002 AMB-SOUP-400G
50142880031003 CHL-CHED-200G
prd:6620418-A SUPP-CO-6620418
Order ingest
Direct connection
ON
SO creation
On PO ingest
ON
Despatch advice
On goods out
ON
Invoice out
On despatch
ON
Credit notes
Matched to invoice
ON
Exception queue
Email + dashboard
CONFIG
Co-op Edge Cases

The situations that
catch suppliers out.

Supply Lens handles the scenarios that typically cause invoice rejections, deductions or document mismatches in the Co-op flow.

"Co-op send documents in a format our system cannot read. We've been doing it manually for months."

The format never reaches your system. Supply Lens turns Co-op's purchase order into a clean payload your ERP already understands and renders every outbound document in the structure Co-op requires on the way back out. Your team works in their normal interface, the format conversion happens in the Supply Lens layer.

"Co-op deducted against an invoice because the unit price was a few pence off the agreed cost list."

Invoice values are validated against the originating purchase order and your agreed Co-op cost list before submission. Discrepancies are flagged before the invoice is sent, giving your team a chance to correct or query rather than receive a Co-op deduction weeks later.

"We short-delivered two lines and now the credit note is being raised by hand outside the system."

Co-op is one of the few retailers that accepts credit notes over the connection, so there is no need for a manual process alongside. Supply Lens matches the credit to the invoice it corrects, applies the same validation the invoice went through and transmits it through the same flow. Short deliveries, returns and price corrections all settle the same way.

"A new Co-op EAN started arriving and our system rejected the order because the product wasn't mapped."

Unrecognised EANs go to an exception queue immediately. The order is held, your team is notified with the full Co-op context, the mapping is added and the order is re-triggered. No silent drop, no late invoice, no missed delivery window.

Getting Set Up

What you need to
go live with Co-op.

Co-op onboarding involves their supplier team, the connection setup and your internal product and pricing data. Supply Lens manages the configuration, the gateway and the format conversion. You provide the inputs.

  • Co-op supplier code and any associated GLNs
  • Product EAN list with your internal item codes
  • Co-op product reference cross-reference where used
  • Active depot routing confirmation
  • Agreed Co-op cost list for invoice validation
  • Credit note approval process and who raises them
  • ERP or IMS credentials (Unleashed, Enterpryze or other)
  • Sample Co-op purchase orders where available
  • Tolerance rules confirmation per supplier agreement
Typical delivery timeline
Day 1

Supplier data & credentials

Co-op supplier code, GLNs, ERP credentials and cost list received

Day 2–3

Mappings built

EAN cross-reference, depot routing and pricing configuration completed in staging

Day 4–5

End-to-end test

Test purchase order processed, despatch advice, invoice and credit note generated and validated against Co-op's specification

Live ✓

Go live

Production enabled, first live Co-op purchase order processed end-to-end

ERP & IMS Connections

Connect Co-op to your back-office system.

Supply Lens routes Co-op purchase orders directly into Unleashed, Enterpryze or other connected ERPs with the right item codes, document series and depot routing.

Ready to automate
your Co-op EDI?

Most suppliers are live within five days. No long contracts, nothing to set up on your side. We handle the Co-op-specific configuration, you confirm the mappings.