Real and Metro Cash and Carry Germany have signed a service agreement with Markant AG, which will see the company take responsibility for the merchandising operations of both retail operations.
Markant, a German-based service company with clients across Europe, will take the role of an intermediary between trade and industry, and offer services along the complete value-creation chain and in the backup field.
The entire German merchandising operations of Real and Metro Cash and Carry Germany will be handled through Markant. With this move, Metro Group plains to strengthen the competitiveness of its sales lines in the domestic market.
The migration will be effected in several steps, expected to be completed by the end of 2015.
This agreement will also result in synergies and benefits on the suppliers’ side, the retailer said, because it will, in future, benefit from standardised settlement processes. The existing collaboration between Metro Group and Groupe Auchan is not part of this cooperation.
“This cooperation will contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of Real”, says Patrick Müller-Sarmiento, managing director purchasing at Real. The company is also focusing on its domestic market in Germany and adjusting its business processes accordingly.
Alain Cappannelli, managing director of purchasing at Metro Cash and Carry Germany, commented, "We are looking forward to good cooperation with Markant, and to thereby leverage additional potential for Metro Cash and Carry Germany. As a trading and services company with activities throughout Germany, Markant is highly specialised in the settlement and bundling of purchasing volumes. This way, we can collaborate even more efficiently with our suppliers in the future.”
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