Values, strategy and vision

The purpose of our operations is to profitably provide our co-op members with competitive services and benefits. The first cooperatives were established more than 100 years ago to provide their members – ordinary Finnish consumers – with affordable, high-quality products and services. We are still on this same path.

Our operations are guided by our values, based on responsible cooperative principles:

The retail sector is undergoing the greatest change in decades. The competition in Finland is international and increasingly tight in all sectors, and global supply is easily available online to all Finnish consumers. The digitalisation of the retail sector is increasing transparency, shaping business models, improving efficiency and changing consumer behaviour in an unprecedented, irrevocable manner.

The Finnish markets have long been the most regulated in Europe, but deregulation seems likely in the future. Deregulation will increase competition and choice, which will benefit consumers.

This requires a great deal of work. We must be able to reinvent ourselves while also honouring our roots and key ideology – responsible cooperative activities. When developing our services, we must keep our key cooperative mission clear in mind: making daily life easier for our co-op members. Cooperative enterprises also need to be profitable, but we do not need to maximise our profits. The profits are used for member benefits, services and their development.

Our key strategic targets include improving profitability and increasing customer satisfaction. Responding to future challenges requires even more competitive, cost-efficient, competent and responsible operations for the entire retail group. No company develops just by cutting costs or improving the efficiency of its operations. Consumers’ requirements are increasing, and they must be provided with new services and new ways to use services. For this reason, S Group is strongly investing in the development of innovative digital and other customer-focused service solutions. Our employees and customers are participating more and more actively in the development work, and we are cooperating with start-up companies and many other parties.

As a cooperative enterprise, we work to lead the way in corporate responsibility. To achieve this, we work together with our stakeholders, setting targets and engaging in open dialogue. We also want to offer our co-op members daily convenience in making responsible and sustainable choices. Our business operations must adapt to the changing needs of customers. An increasing number of customers are making purchases and using services online, and digital services are here to stay. Relevant information – such as prices and product and availability information – must be easily available to customers regardless of time and place. Various electronic services and our extensive network of outlets work together, supporting each other.

Our cooperatives are cooperative enterprises owned jointly by their members. Each co-op member owns an equal share of their local cooperative, and each member has the opportunity to influence the operations of their local cooperative. The co-op members’ ties to the cooperatives are important to us, and we work to foster and develop them further.