Coop and its stakeholders

As well as our employees, our stakeholders in upstream and downstream stages of the value chain are vital to our success and the implementation of our sustainability strategy. With this in mind, we hold a regular Coop Stakeholder Forum, which allows direct and in-depth dialogue with representatives of our five key stakeholder groups. It is an opportunity to take stock of what stakeholders expect and want of us and incorporate these in our targets and measures. The insights gained from dialogue with our stakeholders are reflected in our Materiality Analysis.

Coop supermarket

Coop City

Jumbo

Coop.ch

Coop Restaurant

Coop Mineraloel

Coop Vitality pharmacies

ITS Coop Travel

Interdiscount

Microspot.ch

Dipl. Ing. Fust

Nettoshop.ch/Service 7000

Livique/Lumimart

Import Parfumerie

Christ Watches & Jewellery

Marché Restaurants Schweiz

Betty Bossi

Two Spice

The Body Shop Switzerland

BâleHotels

Update Fitness

Tropenhaus Frutigen

Coop Immobilien

Railcare

others

  • List of activities

    – SupermarketsFood formats   – Non-food specialist formats
  • Own-label sustainability brands

    Naturafarm
    Oecoplan
    Naturaline 
    Naturaline Swiss Cosmetics
    Pro Montagna
    Ünique
    Miini Region
    Karma
    Solidarité

  • Head Office

    Basel

  • Customers

    End consumers

  • Size
    (no. of employees)

    50 416

  • Sustainability sales

    CHF 5 021 million

COOP’S MANUFACTURING COMPANIES

HALBA
Steinfels Swiss
Swissmill
Reismühle Nutrex
Pearlwater Mineralquellen
Coop bakeries
Cave
Banana ripening plant

Bell Food Group AG

Bell
Eisberg
Hilcona
Hügli
  • List of activities

    Processing and production of foods, cleaning agents, cosmetic products

  • Head Office

    Basel

  • Customers

    Retail, food service,
    food industry

  • Size (no. of employees)

    13 907

  • Sustainability sales

    CHF 1 682 million

TRANSGOURMET GROUP

Transgourmet Germany
Transgourmet Poland
Selgros România
Transgourmet France
Transgourmet Ibérica
Transgourmet Austria
Transgourmet Switzerland
  • List of activities

    Cash & carry and wholesale supplies

  • Own-label sustainability brands

    Natura
    Natürlich für uns
    Vonatur
    Origine (Good, Better, Best)
    Premium
    Economy

  • Head Office

    Basel

  • Customers

    Catering, hotels

  • Size
    (no. of employees)

    30 367

  • Sustainability sales

    CHF 870 million

TAX CONCEPTS

Our tax strategy is part of the Coop Group Business Management/Controlling manual (abbreviated to BM/C manual). It sets out binding instructions for accounting, controlling and finance, including taxes, for the entire Coop Group. It also obliges all users to comply with all legal standards applicable to them. With the BM/C manual, we commit to comply with all national and, where applicable, supranational legal requirements and to pay the legally required amount of tax in all jurisdictions in which we conduct business. This enables these states to make local investments in sustainability projects, among others. In this way, we fulfil our responsibility with regard to taxes and our tax strategy is in line with our sustainability strategy. However, unlike the sustainability strategy, which is based on stakeholder input, the tax strategy does not involve stakeholders in any way.

The most senior person in the Coop Group Finance Business Unit approves the tax strategy and regularly reviews it to check whether it needs updating. This should only be the case if economic, legal or social trends, developments or changes make it necessary.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, our internal auditors continuously carry out checks regarding compliance with tax requirements. They also serve as a reporting centre for concerns about potentially unethical or illegal behaviour. In some countries, there are also channels set up specifically for this purpose, which can be used to report any kind of negligent and unethical behaviour – even anonymously. Information regarding taxes is verified during the annual audit by an external auditor as well as by audits of the tax administrations of the countries in which we are active.

The individual Group companies are obliged to report all the main known tax risks to the Group tax department. The Group tax department, which is based at Coop, monitors the Coop Group’s tax risks on an ongoing basis. These are reported annually to the Board of Directors by the most senior person in charge of the Coop Group’s taxes. It is within this context that deliberations and decisions are made on how to deal with the individual risks.

OUR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

As well as our employees, our stakeholders in upstream and downstream stages of the value chain are vital to our success and the implementation of our sustainability strategy.

We hold an annual Coop Stakeholder Forum, which allows direct and in-depth dialogue with representatives of our five key stakeholder groups. It is an opportunity to take stock of what stakeholders expect and want of us, and incorporate these in our targets and measures. We transparently inform stakeholders about the follow-up of their inputs. In bilateral, topic-specific exchanges, we involve them in working on issues and, in particular, in defining and evaluating suitable instruments for remedying critical impacts of our business activities on the environment or society. In 2022, for example, we took appropriate measures with WWF to reduce our water footprint, and with Fairtrade International we pushed ahead with the implementation of living wages in individual raw materials sectors. The insights gained from the dialogue with our stakeholders are reflected in our materiality analysis.

At the Coop Stakeholder Forum in November 2022, we discussed Pillar 3 of Coop sustainability with our stakeholders. We will include the concrete proposals for measures in each thematic field in our planning. At the next Stakeholder Forum in autumn 2023, we will provide transparent information about our decisions and resolutions.

The Business Partner Conference originally scheduled for 2022 has been postponed and will be held in 2023. The conference aims to drive sustainable innovation together with business partners.

Our manufacturing companies and the Transgourmet Group are also in constant dialogue with public bodies, associations and organizations as well as employees, customers and suppliers.

ISSUES AND CONCERNS OF OUR KEY STAKEHOLDERS

OUR ADDITIONAL COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

OUR PARTNERS

To fulfil our responsibility along the value chain, we are committed to long-term, trust-based partnerships and members of various associations.