The 1980s marked structural reform for S Group. As a result of an extensive reorganisation project launched by CEO Juhani Pesonen, SOK divested its industrial operations and created the network of regional cooperatives that is still in operation. The current, unified S Group consists of SOK Corporation and the regional cooperatives.
In the 1980s, the Group focused on its core business areas and restored profitability in just a few years. Since the 1990s, its operating principle – the provision of services and benefits for loyal co-op members – has served as the foundation for its business planning.
The development of its present co-op member programme began in the late 1980s, when PeeÄssä, Keskimaa, KPO and Turku became the first cooperative societies to adopt the Bonus system. The system was implemented nationally in 1994, covering all business areas and regional cooperatives.
In the early 1990s, cost-efficiency was further improved through modern chain operations, which are based on centralised procurement, among other operating methods. S Group and Tradeka transferred their procurement, storage and distribution of groceries to Inex Partners, a procurement and logistics company established in 1991. Through chain-based operations, Inex delivered products to all of the retail chains of S Group: Prisma, Citysokos, Alepa and Sale stores as well as S-markets.
In 1995, S Group entered the international markets when it opened a Citysokos store in Tallinn, Estonia.
A new chain was established in December 1998, when the Ympäristö Cooperative Society opened the first ABC service station store in Utti.