If your product or delivery capacity is more suited to local distribution, rather than the whole S Group, you may contact your regional cooperative directly. We collaborate regionally with suppliers of various sizes, and it is often possible to supply goods locally even to a single store.

The planning of local collaboration starts by contacting the person responsible for assortment and sourcing in the regional cooperative, who can be reached through the switchboard of the cooperative. Please contact us, and we will look into the options to proceed. Your contact person in the regional cooperative will help to find the best models of cooperation.

Quality and responsibility requirements

We will sign a written sourcing framework agreement with all our suppliers. Please see our quality requirements for each product group below.

• Quality and responsibility requirements fresh fruit and vegetables
• Quality and responsibility requirements flowers and adornment plants
• Quality and responsibility requirements consumer goods
• Quality and responsibility requirements pet food and accessories
• Quality and responsibility requirements daily consumer goods
• Quality and responsibility requirements processed food
• Quality and responsibility requirements fresh and frozen food

Responsible sourcing

By signing S group’s sourcing framework agreement, suppliers agree to follow the ethical operating principles of amfori BSCI, and we expect the principles to be implemented downwards along the sourcing chain.

S group’s requirements for responsible sourcing
BSCI Code of Conduct ethical principles
Terms of implementation
Amfori BSCI reference document
Amfori BSCI glossary
List of risk countries amfori BSCI 2021

By signing S Group’s sourcing framework agreement, suppliers agree to follow sustainability policies mentioned in the quality and responsibility requirements:

• S Group's human rights principles, for suppliers
• S Group’s policy for promoting animal welfare, for suppliers
• S Group's policy for sustainable fish and seafood, for suppliers
• S Group’s deforestation policy’s regional procurement restrictions for beef in S Group groceries and consumer goods, for suppliers
• Timber and paper policy in S Group groceries and consumer goods, for suppliers
• S Group Sustainable Cotton Policy, for suppliers

Delivering goods

It is important to follow packaging and delivery instructions, to ensure a smooth goods reception and delivery. Please see the attached instructions for delivering goods.

Delivery instructions

Packaging guidelines

Hereby attached are S Group's and Inex Partner Oy’s criteria for pallets and sales unit packages in the different phases of the supply chain.

In the new guidelines, special emphasis is placed on the manageability of packages and pallets in the modern logistics center that utilizes automation, as well as in our store environment. The supplier is responsible for packing the pallets in the correct manner.

In addition, the guidelines describe criteria for shelf-ready packages. The criteria are used to assess the shelf-readiness of sales unit packages as part of the S group sourcing and assortment process.

Packaging guidelines

Video instructions for grocery and consumer goods suppliers

Product images

Product images are one of the most important factors regarding sales and the appeal of products in online channels. Images are also an important part of product information. The aim of SOK is to provide consumers with images of each product on sale. In addition to online channels, SOK utilizes product images, for example, for internal processes, marketing channels, and marketing material.

Product image guidelines

Product recall

A food article is considered unsafe if it is harmful for health or unfit for human consumption (see decree 178/2002/EY, article 14). Requirements concerning animal fodder can be found in the same decree, article 15. Consumer goods and other goods and appliances must meet both the general safety requirements (2011/920) stated in the consumer safety law, and requirements concerning the article imposed by special legislation applied in Finland and the EU.

The store and distributors are obliged to help producers, manufacturers, and importers to remove products from the market, if the hazardous product is no longer under the immediate supervision of the original supplier in question. A company may also issue a product recall for reasons other than product safety.

In product recall cases, deliveries of, and/or the recall notice for the defective product to S group’s stores, must always be done prior to external announcements. The announcement is made to the category manager responsible for the product category. The supplier and category manager will agree on proceedings regarding products subject to recall.

Instructions for announcing product recalls