Active in retail as well as wholesale and production

The Coop Group operates in the retail as well as wholesale and production sectors. In the retail sector, Coop operates supermarkets and various specialist formats in Switzerland. The Coop Group is the market leader in many of these formats. In wholesale, the Coop Group operates in the wholesale supplies and cash & carry market in Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain, France, Austria and Switzerland through Transgourmet. In the production area, the nationally and internationally active Bell Food Group is the biggest company in the Coop Group. In addition to the Bell Food Group, the Coop Group also operates many other manufacturing companies in Switzerland.

Coop is a cooperative

The Coop Group has a history that goes back over 160 years and has always been structured along cooperative lines. At the organizational level, it is divided into six regions and has some 2.59 million cooperative members. For the Coop Group, the focus is on the customers. The company gears all its efforts to their needs. As a cooperative, the Coop Group does not strive to maximize profits and reinvests every franc into its own business and towards more affordable prices. This enables it to plan and invest sustainably for the long term.

Coop Group strategy structure, vision and corporate profile

Since January 2024, a new strategy structure has been in use at the Coop Group, which includes a new group vision for all 97 000 employees: «Together for our customers». The strategy structure summarizes the group’s focus areas: «leader in retail trade in Switzerland», «leader in European catering supply» and «leader in verticalized production». The strategy structure is based on the new corporate profile, which applies to all sales formats and companies in the Coop Group. It reflects how the staff perceive their work and the values and conduct that are embodied: customer-focused, entrepreneurial and responsible. It also provides the basis for the new management principles. The strategic framework comprises three dimensions: sustainability, digitalization and profitability. At Coop, sustainability is enshrined in all relevant strategies and processes. Coop is pursuing two main strategic thrusts where digitalization is concerned. Its primary contribution is to better cater to individual customer requirements and to simplify the shopping process. At the same time, it should make behind-the-scenes processes even more efficient and economical. As a retailer, Coop also faces strong competition. To enable it to continue conducting sustainable business in a challenging, competitive environment, it is important for Coop as a cooperative to achieve an appropriate level of profits. The strategies of the business areas represent the driving force behind the company’s various divisions. They are closely aligned with the specific developments within the various sectors and countries.

Goal-setting process

To achieve its goals, the Coop Group has since 2001 had a uniform, top-down goal-setting process in place, in which concrete measures are developed right down to the operational levels.