All roads lead to the customer!

METRO CEO Imre Horváth talked to our magazine about their efforts to provide customers with the best possible service.

• What strategy forms the basis of METRO’s business plans in 2018? 

Imre Horváth
CEO
Metro

For METRO it is strategically important to satisfy the needs of HoReCa partners, with both products sold in our 13 Hungarian stores and our nationwide delivery service. We believe that permanent development is the key to offering high quality and professional services.

•What steps are you taking to achieve these goals? 

We have introduced a system that continuously monitors customer needs – this runs in every METRO store. Based on customer feedback, we keep updating our product selection and making personalised discounts to customers. 

• Which elements of your operations are affected by METRO’S strict quality requirements? 

METRO’s name has stood for quality in Hungary in the last 24 years, but if we want to maintain this situation, we have to make progress all the time! We take as good care of our products as the best chefs expect it. METRO’s strict quality controls system guarantees the high quality of our private label products too.

• How do you adapt to changing market needs? 

We never stop adding new products to our professional private label assortment and introducing new services. This year we launched Metro Chef foods and Metro Professional non-food products. Our credo is that ‘No compromises are made in a professional kitchen.’ With our 360-degree kitchen technology service we provide partners with everything they need.

• What does this mean in practice? 

Based on partner needs we offer a service that involves planning, sales, implementation and warranty services. We even take care of training the staff that will use the kitchen equipment. Top-quality kitchen machinery is available to HoReCa partners via the lease schemes of international financial services specialist Grenke, with excellent financial conditions. In METRO’s professional horeca furniture selection there are approximately 500 items and we sell about 800 types of professional kitchen equipment.

• What about food products? 

We are very proud of METRO’s large selection of ultra fresh products, e.g. more than 300 types of fruits and vegetables, 30 freshwater and 70 saltwater fish varieties (the former end up in METRO stores after 48-72 hours of catching, while in the case of the latter this time is just a few hours), 25 types of meat, etc. There are about 650 different wines in our wine selection. With the growing number of ready-to-cook products we save time, energy and money for customers.

•What are your latest services in the Hungarian market? 

Metro Max is the name of our new delivery service. We deliver to every part of the country, taking the ordered products to the doors of partners in the quality and at the time they are expecting from us.

• What kind of innovations does METRO help partners with? 

By using METRO’s own website design software, our experts can make a website for a restaurant in just a few minutes (in the last 4 months 2,500 such websites have been launched), free of charge. Our HoReCa partners also get access to a free online table booking system. Soon we are going to launch the revamped METRO MAX webshop service – this will make it possible to do the shopping from any type of mobile device, no matter where you are.

• You also offer great opportunities in establishing personal relationships. 

Yes, one of these is the Own Business Day programme (to be held on 9-14 October 2018 this year) – this gives our small business partners the chance to familiarise the public with what they have to offer (www.ownbusinessday.com). The METRO Gastro Academy training centre – situated on 127m², with 12 workstations, professional equipment and the best METRO ingredients – is waiting for those who wish to get inspiration or learn new things throughout the year.

• METRO’s close relationship with partners is exemplary! 

We are always happy to see the success of partners and are grateful to them for putting their trust in us! Our motto is ‘Success for You. Success for Us.’ As one of our oldest partners Ferenc Tóth, the owner of Vadaspark Restaurant in Budakeszi has put it: ‘METRO is a steady base one can rely on, a partner that every entrepreneur needs.’(x)