Introducing something new at Berlin’s International Green Week: REWE’s local partnerships are a new approach to local cooperation. As a pioneer in Germany’s food retail sector, REWE is supporting local suppliers and producers with its “Local Partnership” model, setting binding parameters for cooperation and also helping to preserve agricultural structures. It’s a simple principle: REWE retailers, store managers and local representatives in the various regions connect local suppliers and producers’ organisations with their nearest REWE supermarket. For example, they may assist with marketing by listing products or serve as direct, on-site contacts.
Local partnerships provide reliable guidance to local suppliers and producers in their business relationships with REWE retailers and store managers. We are committed to fulfilling our responsibilities to the local community and to sustainable cooperation with small, local suppliers and producers’ associations in the vicinity of our stores. We are leading the way in protecting, sustaining and promoting local producers. We also provide reliable guidance for cooperation among small and medium-sized producers and REWE,
says Erich Stockhausen, chairman of the REWE Group Supervisory Board and an independent REWE retailer.
Through these partnerships, we are making it easier for small, local enterprises to sell their products directly through REWE stores, even in small quantities. This not only promotes regional economies and provides local producers with an additional sales channel, but also supports our aim of creating sustainable added value, whether through short supply routes, generating value in rural areas or improving animal welfare or conservation,
says Peter Maly, the REWE Group’s Executive Board member for sales and marketing.
Through local partnerships, REWE seeks to retain the expertise and manual skills of local industry and enable local stakeholders to engage in long-term planning. As Maly points out, Our retailers and store managers have deep roots in their cities and communities. They are therefore deeply committed to close cooperation with farmers and companies in their supermarkets’ regions.
For the practical implementation of this approach, REWE relies on local representatives, a position created specifically for this purpose, who work with retailers and store managers. Together, they provide local suppliers with a wide range of help and support to enable them to use synergies and to grow together in close, trusting cooperation. One consequence of this is that several small, local suppliers that were previously serving only a few markets have now become economic players of regional relevance. The REWE “Local Partnership” model (rewe.de/regional) covers four different areas with an important impact on our day-to-day working relationships with local stakeholders – from the formulation of supply relationships and the payment of suppliers to the collaborative marketing and implementation of joint projects for animal welfare or environmental protection. This makes it easier for regional and domestic producers and suppliers to sell their products, even in small quantities, directly through our stores without the need for intermediaries.
In addition, the REWE Group has appointed lawyer Andreas von Máriássy to the role of external ombudsman. Those involved at the local level can contact him if they have any concerns or problems. He is also the cooperative’s compliance officer. One of his responsibilities is to examine any information that he receives and to determine the further course of action to be taken with the REWE Group. Upon request, the ombudsman protects the identity of whistleblowers. This service is available to them at no cost.
With its “Local Partnership” model, the REWE Group is setting new standards for local cooperation in Germany’s retail food sector. Not only does it benefit small, local suppliers and producers, it also enables individual customers to find the local products that they know and love in a nearby supermarket.
