As diverse as Life itself

The fact that Migros is different from other companies has to do with its origins. And even more so with its development. Since its beginnings, innovation and a keen sense of the wishes and needs of its customers have been the secret of its success. Over the years, the retailer has also become a manufacturer, bank, travel agency, restaurant and petrol station operator, gym and provider of culture and education – and, as of 2010, its range has also features a slice of the future: the electromobility provider m-way. The Migros Group is today present throughout Switzerland with thousands of outlets as one of the country's biggest investors and its biggest private employer; and it is one of the world's biggest own brand producers with its industrial businesses. And yet, despite such superlatives, the company remains close to the people.

Close to its customers
"People and not the franc should be the focus of the economy." The words of Migros founder Gottlieb Duttweiler are today more topical than ever – in particular, given the rapid changes in retailing. The fact that Migros understands the diverse concerns of its customers and lives its mission statement – to engage with passion in the quality of life of its customers – can be seen from its 2010 award as Switzerland's most popular retailer and strongest brand.  And, of course, from the fact that more people shopped at Migros last year than ever before, winning the company record net revenue despite huge price pressure in the market environment. This also means at Migros that the franc should achieve something – in the sense that the Cooperative works towards the benefit of its customers and employees.

Diversity as an obligation
Profit for Migros means profit for everyone. Because the commitment of the company to find innovative, better solutions today covers nearly all areas. Whether it is the use of resources, the responsible procurement of raw materials and products, optimisation of working conditions, environmental protection, the expansion of its range and services or in the dialogue with customers and partners, such as the WWF.

Below are a few examples of measures and programmes that characterised 2010:

Sustainable commitment 2010
The UN Year of Biodiversity fell on fertile soil at Migros, as it has been committed to a responsible approach to nature and the environment for many years. For instance, the Terra Suisse label, which is specifically committed to biodiversity, was supplied by 20,000 farms last year – that is one in every three!  2010 also saw the highest sales of sustainable labels ever; organic produce alone posted sales increases of 14%. The entire basic coffee range was also switched to sustainable production, newly certified with the UTZ label for socially and environmentally friendly cultivation. Migros has been committed to climate protection for decades, for instance, by reducing its CO2 emissions. CO2 reductions of 16% on 2000 were implemented by 2010. By achieving a rate of 27%, this target was clearly exceeded. The Friendly Work Space award from the Health Promotion Switzerland foundation is also a reason to be proud. Nine businesses already have the right to bear the label, and now with Geneva Migros Cooperative a company from the Romandie for the first time. Finally, Migipedia created an entirely new quality of customer dialogue in 2010: the platform allows customers to exchange ideas and experience with products and offers – and it is used actively.

A picture with lots of colours and facets
Migros is orange, of course. But Migros is also red (Hotelplan), redder (Ex Libris), very red (interio), even redder (Denner), elegant black (Globus), green-grey (Migros Bank), blue (Klubschule) and colourful (19 industrial businesses) and striped and round and angular.  Life has many colours and shapes and occurs everywhere, and that is where Migros is, be it the supermarket in the centre of town, the migrolino at the station, the local branch on the corner or even at home with LeShop, the online store that grew a huge 15% last year. And it is present, in particular, out in the countryside, with its foundation Park im Grünen and indoors on the parquet and in the museum with its Culture Percentage, which was awarded the Culture Investor of the Year in Berlin in 2010. Migros's diversity is a phenomenon! A phenomenon that is hard to grasp because it is simply too diverse!