EUROPEAN RETAIL ALLIANCE GETS STARTED IN TIME FOR IFA
- Launch with key partners on the eve of the IFA exhibition in Berlin
- Klaus-Peter Voigt, previously Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) of the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, is the Alliance's CEO
Ingolstadt/Ivry-sur-Seine/Berlin, 30.08.2018: The launch of the European Retail Alliance (era) was announced today in Berlin by Pieter Haas, CEO of the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, and Enrique Martinez, CEO of Fnac Darty. The launch presentation of era on the eve of IFA 2018 was attended by around 100 of the foremost industry partners in the consumer electronics sector. era's CEO is Klaus-Peter Voigt (58), previously the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) of the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group.
The letter of intent concerning the foundation of era as a joint venture between MediaMarktSaturn and Fnac Darty was signed and published earlier this year in May. Together, the two founding members have a reach of over 2.3 billion customer contacts per year and turnover of more than €30 billion.
era will focus on four strategic areas each with their own corporate unit:
- 'era Strategic Partnerships' will work with manufacturers to develop products, services and solutions for customers.
- Through 'era Data', the Alliance will enable its findings about customers' requirements to be harnessed for the development of tailored offers. In addition, it will enable all parties to shed more light on why customers prefer a particular brand.
- 'era Innovation' will roll out the strategic innovation approach of the Retailtech Hub startup programme throughout the Alliance.
- 'era Sourcing' will focus on own brands and licence brands.
All in all, era therefore offers manufacturers a unique partnership coupled with access to billions of customer contacts across Europe as well as to their digital lives.
Pieter Haas, CEO of the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, said: "The core idea of era is the conviction that in times of 'digitization' and 'Amazonization', retailers and their industry partners should work together and pool their expertise and strengths. Only together can we achieve reach and relevance on a par with the big international players from Asia and the USA."
Enrique Martinez, CEO of Fnac Darty, declared: "For companies today, the customer must be at the focus of all considerations and activities. We must meet the customer's needs in the best way possible, anytime and anywhere. This can only be achieved through close cooperation with manufacturers and brands, with digital innovation being as prominent as the circular economy and after-sales services."
Klaus-Peter Voigt, CEO of the European Retail Alliance, said: "I'm looking forward to my new role as CEO of the European Retail Alliance, through which we plan to set the course for a successful future for CE commerce in Europe. It is far more than just a procurement alliance. We intend to create an open, leading consumer electronics alliance concentrating on relevant added value for all stakeholders."
Further information about era can be found on the website www.europeanretailalliance.com.
About the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group
The MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group is Europe's leading commerce company for consumer electronics and related services. It sees itself as a partner, daily companion and navigator for consumers in the digital world. MediaMarktSaturn and its portfolio of formats and brands flexibly respond to the needs of different customer groups and countries. Apart from fronting the MediaMarkt and Saturn brands, which comprehensively network their more than 1,000 bricks-and-mortar stores with online sales platforms, the Media-Saturn Group operates online pure players such as iBood as well as the music streaming service JUKE. Moreover, its portfolio includes its own brands PEAQ, KOENIC, ISY and ok. Majority-owned by CECONOMY AG, in 2016/17 MediaMarktSaturn and its approximately 65,000 employees in 15 countries generated total sales of about €22 billion. www.mediamarktsaturn.com
About Fnac Darty
Operating in eleven countries, Fnac Darty is a European leader in the retail of entertainment and leisure products, consumer electronics and household appliances. The group counts 26,000 employees and, as of June 2018, has a multi-format network of 748 stores, including 526 in France. Fnac Darty is France's second e-commerce player in terms of traffic (nearly 20 million aggregated unique visitors per month) with its two retail websites fnac.com and darty.com. A standard-setting omni-channel retailer, Fnac Darty posted pro forma revenues of €7.4 billion in 2017.
Please address all enquiries to:
Christian Bölling
Corporate Communications
MediaMarktSaturn
Retail Group
Tel. +49 (0) 841 634 3320
boelling@mediamarktsaturn.com
www.mediamarktsaturn.com
Claire Fournon
Press
Groupe Fnac Darty
Tel : +33 (0)1 55 21 57 10
claire.fournon@fnacdarty.com
http://www.fnacdarty.com
