EXCLUSIVEBRANDSOURCING RETAILER/WHOLESALER ...

EB Identities: Coop, Coop NATURAplan (organically grown foods and products bearing the Bio
Suisse bud label), Coop NATURA Line (textiles from organic cultivation and fair trade, cosmetics
from natural raw materials), Coop Naturafarm (meat and eggs from humane animal husbandry),
Coop OECOplan (non-food products and services with ecological added value), Max Havelaar
(products sourced through fair trade with developing countries), ProSpecie rara (fruits, vegetables,
seeds, seedlings from heirloom varieties and breeds threatened with extinction), Slow Food (foods
that promote sustainability and taste diversity), Pro Montagna (sustainable products from Swiss
mountain regions), ProSpecie Rara (rare varieties of fruits and vegetables), Betty Bossi (fresh
convenience foods), Qualité & Prix (Quality & Price everyday foods, near foods and non-foods),
Prix Garantie (everyday products with fixed guaranteed low prices), Bio Suisse (organic foods),
Coop Fine Food (premium-grade, gourmet specialty foods), free-from (products for people with
specific food allergies), Délicorn (natural, healthy meat-free meals), JaMaDu (balance diet and
active life-style foods for children, aged 4 to 9), Plan B (meals at attractive prices), Free Form
(food intolerant recipes, i.e., gluten-free) Weight Watchers (low-fat, low-sugar, low-calorie
products), Max Haelaar (Fairtrade goods), Slow Food CH, FSC (wood and paper ranges), MSC
(fish and seafood with low impact, sustainable, wild source), Topten (low-energy consumption,
low environmental impact products). Its new By Air label identifies all products transported by
emission-greedy airlines: the goal to be CO2 -neutral within the next 10+ years.
EB skus: 4,500+ (E)
Profile: If Coop Schweiz had not boosted its ownership in the B2B joint venture TransGourmet
Holding, Neu-Isenburg, Germany, to 100% in January 2011, its annual results for the year would
likely have been dismal. But the takeover of Europe’s second largest cash and carry and
foodservice enterprise from its partner, Rewe Group of Germany, was auspicious for Coop.
TransGourmet’s turnover in 2010 climbed by 6.7% to € 6.2 billion ($8.9 billion). This resulted in
Coop becoming the leading retailer in Switzerland, helping to produce extraordinary gains in its
overall sales and, of course, in its wholesale turnover both in Switzerland and abroad, up by
1,209% to CHF 1.8 billion and up by 6,675% to CHF 7.5 billion, respectively. This new business
also enhances Coop’s international portfolio. Its joint venture with Rewe was established in
January 2005, each partner holding a 50% stake. They expanded their cooperation in early January
2009, setting up the joint venture transGourmet Holding S.E., domiciled in Neu-Isenburg near
Frankfurt. In addition to the transGourmet Schweiz AG companies, the FEGRO/SELGROS cash
& carry markets and REWE Grossverbraucherservice/Stöver (today REWE-Foodservice) were
integrated. The group was thus also represented in Germany, Poland, Romania and Russia. On the
retail front, Coop Schweiz, coping with the debt crisis in Europe, a stronger franc, and the falling
value of the Euro currency, took an unprecedented step during 2011. Prices at retail were cut by
2.4% across its whole range of products. For those manufacturer brands unwilling to pass on their
currency gains—some 95 multinational producers in all— Coop de-listed them until they relented.
They did. Coop also established long-term price cuts by an average of 10%, on some 1,639 own
brand products, including many popular organic items. The reduced pricing overall hurt: Coop lost
revenues of CHF 350 million from a total of 4,500 own brand and manufacturer brand products
discounted. Meantime, Coop continued to build its own brand business, launching some 140 new
products under the Naturaplan organic range. Its sales topped CHF 779 million, up 3% for the
year. Fair Trade added 65 more products; Délicorn meat-free meals added 35 more products, Fine
Foods took on 39 more products; while some 140 new Bio Suisse brand products were also
introduced during the year. A number of own brands produced notable sales gains for the year:
Oecoplan +3%, ProMontagna +7%, ProSpecie Rara +15%, Slow Foods +16%, Max Haelaar
+12%, Topten +7%, etc. The Coop’s share of own brand sales at retail has climbed in recent years
from 40% up to 54%. Additionally, Coop is switching strong selling ranges like Qualité & Prix
over to Fairtrade raw materials, its goal to make fairtrade the standard for own-label brand
products from the world’s southern countries. Regarding itself as the market leader in
environmentally friendly and fair-trade products, Coop was declared the world's most sustainable