2.1 Group business model

METRO is a leading international specialist in food wholesale. The group is headed by METRO AG, which acts as the central management holding company. It performs group management functions, among others in the areas of finance, controlling, legal and as well as purchasing and human resources. Central management and administrative functions for METRO are anchored within METRO AG.

In its core wholesale business, METRO operates globally with 678 stores in 24 countries. METRO is active with the in another 10 countries. It includes the METRO delivery service as well as the delivery specialists Classic Fine Foods, Pro à Pro and Rungis Express.

The core customer groups of METRO are HoReCa and Traders. The section includes hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés as well as catering companies, canteen operators and street food vendors. The section includes small grocery stores, kiosks as well as petrol stations and other wholesalers.

678

stores in 24 countries

Across all customer groups, the majority of customers are small and medium-sized companies as well as sole traders. METRO wants to assist them with their business challenges by providing them with sustainable solutions with superior added economic value, which we have combined under the Wholesale 360 approach.

The group’s digitalisation activities are bundled under the Others segment. They mainly comprise the activities of the Hospitality Digital and METRO MARKETS business units. The Others segment also includes the service companies METRO PROPERTIES, METRO LOGISTICS, METRO-NOM, METRO ADVERTISING and METRO SOURCING. These companies provide real estate, logistics, IT, advertising and procurement services.

Overview of METRO

Overview of METRO (organisational chart)
16 million

commercial customers

METRO

As an , METRO combines a wide network of modern wholesale stores with a wide-ranging delivery service (FSD). It is an internationally leading player in this field. With its segments METRO Germany, METRO Western Europe (excluding Germany), METRO Russia, METRO Eastern Europe (excluding Russia) and METRO Asia, METRO is active in 34 countries. It operates 678 wholesale stores in Europe and Asia under its brands METRO and MAKRO. Its more than 16 million commercial customers worldwide are mainly hotels, restaurants, catering companies, independent retailers, as well as service providers and authorities, to which METRO offers a portfolio of products and solutions that has been tailored to their specific requirements. In the area of Food Service Distribution (FSD), METRO maintains a strong presence with its METRO Delivery Service and the delivery companies Classic Fine Foods, Pro à Pro and Rungis Express. Classic Fine Foods is an Asian delivery company for a wide range of deli food with premium customers, mainly in Asia and the Middle East. Pro à Pro delivers products to commercial customers across France, in particular in the fields of corporate catering, canteens and system catering. Rungis Express is an important upmarket food delivery company in Germany that mainly caters to hotels, restaurants and caterers (HoReCa).

Others

The Others segment mainly includes the Hospitality Digital, METRO MARKETS and METRO PROPERTIES business units. Hospitality Digital pools the group’s digitalisation efforts for customers from the hospitality sector. These efforts include the development of tailor-made digital solutions for HoReCa customers. METRO MARKETS is further expanding its digital portfolio for independent restaurateurs with a new B2B online marketplace. Through this distribution channel, METRO offers non-food articles from its own product range as well as products from third parties. The sales and pro rata costs generated by METRO MARKETS are included in the operating units, while the development activities of METRO MARKETS beyond it are included in the Others segment. METRO PROPERTIES develops, operates and markets an international real estate portfolio. For additional business such as subletting, METRO benefits from the business unit’s extensive market expertise. Thus the real estate segment makes a sustainable and significant contribution to the overall business success of METRO. Other service companies are also assigned to this segment.

(XLSX:) Download XLS
Store network by country and segment as of the closing date of 30/9

 

METRO

 

Stores

Delivery

 

2020

2020

METRO Germany

103

FSD, Rungis Express, METRO MARKETS

Belgium

17

FSD

France

98

FSD, CFF, Pro à Pro

Italy

49

FSD

Netherlands

17

FSD

Austria

12

FSD, Rungis Express

Portugal

10

FSD, Rungis Express

Spain

37

FSD, Rungis Express

METRO Western Europe (excl. Germany)

240

 

METRO Russia

93

FSD

Bulgaria

11

FSD

Kazakhstan

6

FSD

Croatia

10

FSD

Moldova

3

FSD

Poland

29

FSD

Romania

30

FSD

Serbia

9

FSD

Slovakia

6

FSD

Czech Republic

13

FSD

Turkey

34

FSD

Ukraine

32

FSD

Hungary

13

FSD

METRO Eastern Europe (excl. Russia)

196

 

India

27

FSD

Japan

10

FSD, CFF

Pakistan

9

FSD

METRO Asia

46

 

Total

678

 

 

 

 

Countries without stores

 

 

China

–

CFF

Indonesia

–

CFF

Malaysia

–

CFF

Myanmar

–

FSD

Philippines

–

CFF

Switzerland

–

Rungis Express

Singapore

–

CFF

United Arab Emirates

–

CFF

United Kingdom

–

CFF

Vietnam

–

CFF

FSD = Food Service Distribution, CFF = Classic Fine Foods

Total countries: 34; countries with stores: 24; METRO countries: 25 (Myanmar only FSD); CFF countries: 10; Rungis countries: 5; Pro à Pro countries: 1; METRO MARKETS countries: 1.
Compliance
All measures specifying compliance with legal requirements as well as social guidelines and values by a company and its employees.
Glossary
Delivery (Food Service Distribution, FSD)
Delivery service for professional customers. The delivery segment includes sales from transactions without customer contact with a METRO store. Customers order items online or by telephone and receive their order delivered at the agreed time. In recent years, this type of purchasing has become much more prevalent.
Glossary
HoReCa
Short for hotel, restaurant and catering businesses. The HoReCa segment is an important customer group for METRO.
Glossary
Traders
The term ‘Traders’ at METRO refers to the customer group of independent resellers such as operators of small grocery stores and kiosks, street food vendors, gas stations and wholesalers.
Glossary
Omnichannel retail
Combination of traditional store-based retail with e-commerce, social media as well as applications for smartphones and tablets. Integrating all channels offers consumers a flexible and seamless shopping experience, since the channels are holistically linked in all purchasing phases.
Glossary