METRO
As a leading international specialist in the food wholesale and retail industry, METRO sees itself as a responsible partner along the entire value chain committed to its customers’ success and satisfaction every day. Our strategy aims to achieve long-term stable growth in like-for-like sales and earnings. To ensure that we remain relevant to our customers and successful in the long term, we have set ourselves the goal of differentiating us from our competitors in the food and hospitality industries by continuing to develop our business model and by strengthening our focus on the customer. Our sustainability principles play a major role in this endeavour. We do not limit our actions to merely ensuring the transactional satisfaction of our customers while they are shopping: to intensify all aspects of our relationship with our customers, we continue to expand our range of comprehensive services designed to assist our customers in achieving success. The opportunities that emerge from the digitalisation also play a major role.
Customer focus and customer satisfaction are essential elements of our strategy. The Net Promoter Score has now been introduced across all stores and allows us to continuously measure and resolutely improve our customers’ satisfaction. Besides the purely quantitative measurement of the current satisfaction values, suggestions from customers can be systematically recorded and evaluated. These data can be used to identify additional potentials for improving the shopping experience which are then reflected in, among other things, the design of our stores or assortments.
In order to exploit the opportunities derived from the progressing digitalisation and to realise synergies, we are bundling our digitalisation initiatives with the Hospitality Digital business unit and the service company METRO-NOM. Hospitality Digital develops customer- and user-oriented solutions, for example systems that improve the payment process, online ordering systems or other digital solutions especially for the catering sector, such as the creation and operation of internet presences. In addition, innovative start-up companies are supported by initiatives like the METRO Accelerator powered by Techstars.
METRO-NOM also drives the development and internal deployment of digital solutions in order to further increase the efficiency of our organisation.
The implementation of cost-saving measures also continues. These include procurement cooperation projects with other international retailers which increase METRO’s competitiveness while creating added value for its customers. One example of this is the new procurement alliance Horizon International which includes METRO, Auchan Retail, Dia Group and Casino Group.
Our reinforced sustainability approach METRO SUSTAINABLE emphasises the fact that sustainability at METRO means more than merely focusing on environmental and social issues. METRO SUSTAINABLE is a fixed component of our corporate strategy and shows how we aspire to do business as a responsible company. It encompasses every single aspect of our actions. In concrete terms, this means: we want to make our product range more sustainable and reduce our economic footprint, for example by implementing energy-efficient solutions. Our actions are guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) postulated by the United Nations. Contributing to their achievement is a firm commitment of our core business.
- More information about our sustainability strategy can be found in the combined management report – 2 principles of the group - 2.4 combined non-financial statement by METRO AG, as well as in the Corporate Responsibility Report 2017/18.
METRO is shaped by our more than 150,000 highly motivated employees worldwide. They fill our open culture with life and combine passion, a partnership approach and outstanding performance in our core business. With courage for new ideas they challenge the status quo time and again and drive our business forward.
METRO essentially consists of the METRO Wholesale and Real sales lines, which are in charge of our operational business, and the Others segment, which includes the Hospitality Digital business unit, the real estate company METRO PROPERTIES and a number of service companies, among others. The METRO Wholesale sales line comprises the wholesale stores operated under the METRO and MAKRO brands, as well as the delivery sales. It primarily targets business customers (B2B) and is characterised by trusting relationships with more than 24 million customers across 35 countries. The Real sales line focuses on the retail industry in Germany and thus on end consumers (B2C). Real is one of the leading hypermarket companies in Germany. The decision of the METRO AG Management Board to initiate the sales process for the hypermarket business and focus its operative activities on wholesale means that the Real sales line no longer constitutes a strategic activity in our portfolio.