METRO is looking forward with investments

METRO Hungary considers the current difficult economic situation a challenge and intends to use innovative solutions to turn the negative trend around. An indicator of this new approach is METRO’s Customer Academy, which opened last October and aims at improving restaurateur and retail partners’ competitiveness by transferring know-how. In 2010 METRO Hungary invested HUF 1 billion on the domestic market, started its delivery service in all 13 stores, expanded its product portfolio, revamped its website, launched its online customer service and started innovative online advertising. One of the key to METRO’s success is well-trained and ambitious employees: from the company’s 2,662 employees 1,400 participated in 20 different training programmes. METRO’s traineeship programme continued in 2010, the company helped university students in acquiring practical knowledge. Corporate social responsibility was an integral part of METRO’s activities in 2010: all METRO stores collect waste selectively, after each environmentally friendly shopping bag sold, the company donated 5 Forints to Friends of the Earth Hungary (MTVSZ), METRO helped the work of the Hungarian Food Bank Association – in the Christmas period 150 tons of food was collected for charity in METRO stores – and the company helped the victims of flood and red sludge with donations valuing more than HUF 10 million. In 2011 METRO will keep strengthening its private label line, will place great emphasis on the communication of individual stores, on new promotion campaigns, on improving professional partners’ position and on increasing the proportion of Hungarian-produced products in its portfolio.