The aim of the article. Achieving steady state economic system, which is the Consumer Cooperatives in Ukraine, and its effective operation, requires the solution of complex tasks to ensure competitiveness. The most important of these challenges need to be maximize the potential of the use of trade by managing resources, opportunities and means of commercial enterprise in the market conditions. In this regard, it is necessary to make scientific approach of the economic potential of trade consumer cooperatives, both theoretical soil to implement management. The composition and structure of the potential of the enterprise as a whole of economic potential, particularly in the context of its nature, value management features considered in the works of many domestic and foreign scholars. However, a common approach to structuring potential of the company in general, and economic potential of trade, particularly in science does not exist. Therefore, a detailed study of the nature and composition of the needs of the economic potential of commercial enterprises of consumer cooperation as an important direction of management to ensure efficiency, competitiveness and enterprise development. The aim of the paper study the composition of the ''economic potential of commercial enterprise'' as the basis for the theoretical foundations and practical areas of management and economic potential of trade consumer cooperatives. The results of the analysis. As a result of studies of the economic potential of trade consumer cooperatives conducted a thorough analysis of existing approaches to structuring potential: selection of a component with its own list of the main characteristics of the species, resources, functional, two-level and modular. The essence of each of these approaches, its developers and researchers, advantages and disadvantages. As a result, a critical consideration in the economic potential of trade consumer cooperatives based on these approaches determined that it reflects the selection of the economic component of the overall capacity of the trading company in the middle of which a defined structure and its characteristics. It is determined that economic potential of the consumer cooperatives trade advisable to structure, especially in terms of resource approach, choosing material, labor, financial and intangible components. In the modern interpretation of the structure of the economic potential for resource approach, composition of the economic potential of commercial enterprise consumer cooperation in contemporary conditions should be considered as a set of resources of the enterprise and the ability to use them to achieve a certain goal. In terms of the functional approach, the economic potential of the trade of consumer cooperatives as a set of production, marketing, financial and management components. Since trading company has certain capabilities (resources) perform to their functions, resources and functional structuring of the economic potential of commercial enterprise are consumer cooperatives turns to interrelated. Conclusions and directions of further researches. The results of the study are the basis for the development of management and economic potential of commercial enterprise and consumer cooperatives to determine its competitiveness.