Coop Switzerland has posted a 1.9% increase in sales in its retail division in full-year 2018, reporting sales of CHF 17.7 billion (€15.6 billion) for the period.
Its supermarkets division posted revenue of CHF 10.4 billion (€9.16 billion) for the year, which was 0.8% higher than the previous 12-month period, while specialised formats were up 3.6%, to CHF 7.3 billion (€6.43 billion).
As of the end of 2018, Coop operated 2,313 outlets across Switzerland – the densest sales network of any retailer operating in the country.
Overall, Coop Switzerland posted growth of 5.0%, to CHF 30.7 billion (€27.05 billion), with EBITDA rising by 5.5%, to CHF 2.1 billion (€1.85 billion).
Its wholesale/production business saw sales rise by 9.0%, to CHF 14.2 billion (€12.51 billion), while its online sales division saw a 20.6% increase, to more than CHF 2.3 billion (€2.03 billion), with its Coop @ Home grocery channel seeing growth of 6.7%.
Its Transgourmet wholesale arm, for the HoReCa sector, posted revenue of CHF 9.7 billion (€8.55 billion) – an increase of 6.9% on the previous year.
Organic Products
Coop has also reported positive sales from its organic and sustainable product assortments, which saw a 9.7% increase in sales in the full-year period, to CHF 4.7 billion (€4.14 billion).
Revenue from organic products, specifically, rose by 19.1%, to CHF 1.7 billion (€1.50 billion), making Coop the 'undisputed organic leader in Switzerland', the retailer reported.
As of the end of 2018, Coop had a total of 89,579 employees (up 3,155 on the previous year), including 56,331 (+850) in Switzerland.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
