‘I never tried to convince people that 100 Forints was more than 102 Forints’

Péter Boros, the president of Coop Győr retired in April. His career and credo reflect the last 30 years of the Coop system.

T. M.: – What was your family background like?
B. P.: – My father was a private retailer and wanted my brother and me to take over the shop when he retired. His plans went up in smoke when the state took ownership of his shop. I worked as an agricultural engineer until 1981, when I started to work as production director for ÁFÉSZ in Győr; in 1992 I became president of the company.
• T. M.: – The Győr ÁFÉSZ survived the political and economic transformations and became a prospering company. How did you learn the skills to get by in a market economy in the socialist system?
B. P.: – Before the changes ÁFÉSZ did not only do retail but purchasing and production as well; our operation was characterised by a market economy approach. We had special knowledge which we could use after the transformation.
• T. M.: – How did you react to the changes?
B. P.: – The market was becoming more liberal already at the end of the 1980s. It also helped that we were close to the western border and had developed business relations with Austrian enterprises earlier. • T. M.: – Your started your career as a production director: did this have anything to do with Coop Győr establishing production units?
B. P.: – I have always thought the food industry should cover the whole spectrum, from production through purchasing to selling. This way our competitive position and negotiating power is stronger.
• T. M.: – What was your credo during your long and successful professional career?
B. P.: – Coop is characterised by faith in our company and in each other, we are one big family. As a leader I have always paid respect to my colleagues. I have always had a correct partnership with suppliers and partners – I never tried to convince them that 100 Forints was more than 102 Forints. I never made promises that I could not keep.
• T. M.: – How did the profession and its reputation change in the last couple of decades?
B. P.: – It changed completely. The art of selling, the kind that I saw in my father’s shop is slowly becoming history. Today it is one big struggle for survival, there is a concentration process taking place – this is the reason why we sold Coop Győr to a high-turnover consortium such as Coop Szolnok Zrt. In Hungary the reputation of retailers is unfavourable because the public is unaware how fierce competition is: practically there is no profit margin on basic food products.
• T. M.: – What are you going to do with all that free time now?
B. P.: – I am going to spend most of it with my family. I will also do a bit of gardening and work in my vineyard. I will pay attention to what is going on in retail but one has to be able to close the different periods of their life…