pdf (18.3 MB) - METRO Group

METRO GROUP : ANNUAL REPORT 2010 : BUSINESS
→ GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT : 6. INNOvATION MANAGEMENT
One example is the sales format “Metro drive” that
Metro Cash & Carry first tested in France in 2009. As a
result, the wholesaler gives its professional customers
the opportunity to order goods by telephone, fax or over
the Internet round the clock. The customer can then collect
the products at the nearest pick-up point. In 2010, Metro
Cash & Carry added 11 more “Metro drive” stations in
France, bringing the total to 14.
In Germany, the Real sales division opened the first drive-in
food store in Isernhagen-Altwarmbüchen, a northern
German city near hanover, in November 2010. On the home
page www.real-drive.de, customers can select from a range
of about 5,000 products – including frozen and fresh foods –
and put together their purchases. The order can be picked
up just two hours later at the drive-in station. A fee of €1 is
charged for the service. The product prices are the same
ones charged at Real’s hypermarkets. The “Real drive” is
designed as a test store. If the service proves to be beneficial,
Real will take a decision in 2011 about expanding it to
other German cities.
One other option gaining popularity in retailing is the use of
shopping services that can be used with the help of mobile
end devices regardless of location. In particular, the expanding
use of smartphones facilitates new ways to approach and
retain customers. At the beginning of 2010, for instance, Real
released an application for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch.
Customers can use this app to create electronic shopping
lists, check on discounted items and get directions to the
nearest Real hypermarket. The application also provides
access to a cooking show that presents meal ideas via video
and shows the respective recipes. The necessary ingredients
can be added directly to the electronic shopping list.
The menus and recipes can also be recommended to others
and shared on Facebook and Twitter. Since its launch, the
free application has been installed on smartphones more
than 180,000 times.
Metro Cash & Carry also offers professional customers an
iPhone application, the “METROphone”. with the application’s
help, selected users of the delivery service can order
products directly by smartphone. The products are selected
through a search function; alternatively barcodes can be
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entered via the smartphone’s camera. All products from the
personal customer order list and the entire delivery range
of the respective Metro Cash & Carry wholesale store are
available. The selected products are added to a virtual shopping
cart. when the order has been completed, the customer
automatically receives a confirmation by e-mail or fax. he
can check on the status of the order at any time until the time
of shipping.
Operational use of RFID
In retailing, METRO GROUP is a pioneer in Radio Frequency
Identification (RFId). The technology makes it possible to
automatically register product movements throughout the
entire supply chain and to transmit the information in a contactless
manner to information technology systems. RFId
helps retailers to optimise processes in logistics and warehouse
management, to more efficiently design anti-theft
systems and to continue to increase customer satisfaction.
The heart of the technology is the RFId transponder, a
minute computer chip with antenna. An Electronic Product
Code (EPC) is usually stored on this chip. with an RFId
reader, the EPC can be registered extremely quickly without
physical or visual contact and in large numbers and refers
to product information in the merchandise management
system – including the product’s origin, manufacturer and
best-before date.
METRO GROUP has been using RFId in logistics since 2007.
The technology facilitates more efficient processing in the
incoming-goods area at about 400 company locations. As a
result, METRO GROUP remains the pacesetter in European
retailing. RFId technology is used by Metro Cash & Carry
in Germany and France as well as by Real and MGL
METRO GROUP Logistics in Germany. In the central warehouse
in Unna, more than 750,000 pallets are registered
each year with the assistance of RFId. during the reporting
year, we demonstrated in comprehensive tests that RFId can
provide support in the individual product area. Pilot tests
within the sales divisions, amongst others at Metro
Cash & Carry Netherlands and at the Media-Saturn-Group,
are being prepared. RFId is being used here to improve
inventory overviews, order processes and returns for selected
products as well as for electronic article surveillance.