Our strategy
We have a clear and focused strategy to drive operational excellence across our businesses.
Our strong track record is the result of our clear strategic framework – Together We Build – to deliver operational excellence across the Group’s operating businesses.
We have much further to go on our journey and we continue to drive organic and profitable growth through our strategic initiatives.
Our scale and leading market positions also make us a natural consolidator in a highly fragmented market. We have a successful track record of synergistic acquisitions and an extensive pipeline of further opportunities to continue our journey of complementary acquisitions supported by a proven integration framework.
Our strategy delivers value for all our stakeholders: our customers, our suppliers, our people and ultimately, our shareholders.
OUR SIX PILLARS
Commercial excellence
Commercial Excellence initiatives aim to design and deliver commercial best practices that maximize profitable revenue and enhance our competitive advantage. These initiatives are mainly relating to Pricing, Sales Force Effectiveness, Assortment Harmonization and Private Label development.
Procurement
Procurement initiatives optimize cost-effective sourcing of product and non-product related spend across our Operating Companies by leveraging the scale of our Group.
Supply chain
Supply Chain initiatives enable cost-effective delivery, reducing inventory levels and developing service delivery centric business opportunities. These initiatives mainly relate to the optimization of our (central) warehousing, transportation/fleet and inventory.
Format, footprint, and real estate
Format, Footprint and Real Estate initiatives focus on optimizing our existing branch network, opening of new greenfield branches, innovating on formats adapted to changing customer needs and lastly, on optimizing our real estate portfolio.
Organisational efficiency
Organizational Efficiency initiatives aim to streamline the organization and its processes while increasing the capabilities of our Operating Companies to deliver products and services efficiently. These initiatives mainly relate to optimizing our back-office processes.
Focused growth
Focused Growth represents our ambition to make targeted acquisitions to complement and strengthen our market position and businesses across our key geographies.
OUR THREE ENABLERS
Finance
Finance supports our Operating Companies and Functional pillars in delivering our strategic goals with up to market standard reporting, management information & forecasting and support on tax, treasury, legal and internal audit, whilst maintaining compliance.
HR
HR initiatives aim to build a high performing organisation while delivering the best experience for our customers, suppliers and people. Together we develop and acquire the best-in-class employees to accelerate and drive performance. We strive to offer our employees a great and safe place to work where they can grow and work with passion.
Digitalisation & IT
Digital & IT initiatives leverage state of the art technology to help our Operating Companies to deliver products & services efficiently and to improve our customer and supplier experience. We do this for example by further harmonising and modernising our ERP systems, as well as by offering our customers a continuously enhanced digital experience and solutions like our eCommerce platform.