Co-operative societies of retail traders are societies with variable capital constituted in the form of a limited liability company or a public limited company and operating in accordance with the provisions of Book II, Title III, Chapter I. They are governed by the provisions of this chapter and by the non-contradictory provisions of Book II, Titles I to IV and the loi n° 47-1775 du 10 septembre 1947 portant statut de la coopération. The provisions of Book II, Titles I to IV concerning the constitution of legal reserves are applicable to them.
Only companies and associations formed for the purpose of carrying out the operations referred to in article L. 124-1 and which comply, as regards their formation and operation, with the provisions of this chapter.