Coop Sweden has announced a business restructure to increase competitiveness and offer lower prices and more promotions to its members.
The move will see the retailer cut around 100 positions at its head office in Solna, plus other measures, with a projected saving of SEK300m(£26.8m).
The changes take effect from 1 January 2024.
“Coop’s mission is to create economic benefits for our more than 3.9 million members,” said CEO Marie Nygren, “The sharp cost increases in recent years for the purchase of goods, energy, transport and increased rents mean that we must adapt the organisation to provide the conditions for a profitable Coop in Sweden.
“A strong Coop can compete with competitors and create both member benefits and contribute to increased sustainability.”
Coop Sweden operates about 820 stores, owned by the country’s 27 consumer associations, and is responsible for common functions such as marketing, assortment, purchasing, logistics and IT.
“It is regrettable that competent employees have to leave the company,” said Nygren. “We will do what we can to help them move on in their professional lives.
“We are now creating a customer-oriented, process-oriented, flatter and more agile organisation to fulfil our promise to our members.”
Coop Sweden is also set to start operations at its new, fully automated goods terminal in Eskilstuna.
It says the site marks the Coop’s biggest investment for the retailer in Sweden in modern times, creating one of northern Europe’s largest and most automated goods terminals.
“It is an investment in the future that will deliver cost-effective and reliable logistics and goods handling for the whole of Coop in Sweden for many decades,” said Nygren. “The goods terminal is one of the conditions for coping with competition and at the same time contributing to increased sustainability.”
The retailer is also working with Volvo to test heavy electric trucks as it works towards a fossil free transport operation. It says it already uses electric trains for more than 30% of its transport, and uses renewable diesel in several carriers, but still needs to switch light and heavy trucks to electric. renewable fuels or hydrogen.
Peter Rosendahl, transport manager Coop Logistik, said “The test drive with heavy electric trucks has gone very well and we and our carrier are taking with us lessons regarding charging, transport capacity and other things.
“These are electric trucks that, when fully loaded, weigh close to 50 tonnes (load weight 27 tonnes). The test is carried out by collecting drinks in Falkenberg and transporting them to Malmö. It is a 34-mile stretch where the trucks run on fossil-free electricity.”
