Strategy
Strategy structure
Coop Group strategy structure, vision and corporate profile
Since 2024, the Coop Group, with over 97 275 employees, has been guided by the strategy structure and the Group vision «Together for our customers». This vision forms the shared understanding of how Coop consistently focuses on its customers’ needs. The strategy structure defines the overarching Group alignment: «leader in retail trade in Switzerland», «leader in European catering supply» and «leader in verticalized production». It is based on the corporate profile, which applies to all companies and sales formats of 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 management principles.
The strategic framework comprises three dimensions: sustainability, digitalization and profitability. Sustainability is enshrined in all relevant strategies and processes. Digitalization pursues two main strategic thrusts: Primarily, it aims to improve the customer experience and simplify the shopping process, while also making internal processes more efficient and economical. At the same time, as a cooperative, it is important for Coop to maintain an appropriate level of profitability in order to operate sustainably over the long term. The strategies of the business areas are developed in a decentralized manner and form the operational driving force of the company’s divisions, each tailored to the specific markets and sectors.
Goal-setting process
To achieve its goals, the Coop Group has operated a standardized goal-setting process based on its strategy since 2001 in which concrete measures are developed and implemented right down to the operational levels.
Profile
Active in retail and wholesale
The Coop Group operates in the retail and wholesale sectors. In the retail sector, Coop operates supermarkets as well as numerous specialist formats in Switzerland, and is the market leader in many of these formats. With more than 2 394 outlets, Coop offers the densest retail network in Switzerland and is therefore very close to its customers. In wholesale, the Group operates in the wholesale supplies and cash & carry market in Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Poland, Romania and Austria through Transgourmet. In production, the nationally and internationally active Bell Food Group is the biggest company in the Coop Group. In addition, Coop operates further specialized manufacturing companies in Switzerland.
Coop is a cooperative
The Coop Group’s history 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 2.67 million cooperative members. For the Coop Group, the focus is on its customers, and the company gears all its efforts to their needs. As a cooperative, Coop does not strive to maximize profits and reinvests every franc into its business and towards affordable prices. This enables it to plan and invest sustainably.
