Japan

In an effort to further increase sales, METRO Cash & Carry Japan has developed what is known as the multi-specialist approach. This approach focuses on five core target groups. The traditional Japanese pubs, “Izakaya”, specialise in freshly prepared Japanese food and beverages. Restaurants featuring Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cuisine are grouped under the category of “Asian”. “Teishoku” includes canteens and restaurants with a fixed daily menu. Western-influenced restaurants, bars and cafés fall under the category of “European”. And the “Food Generalists” are independent retailers such as food retailers, supermarkets and convenience stores. The needs of these five groups vary considerably and serve as fertile soil for targeted offers. This is where the multi-stage, multi-specialist approach comes in: first, METRO Cash & Carry carried out a detailed analysis of each of the five target groups in order to identify the customers with the greatest sales potential, such as Italian and French restaurants in the “European” segment. The wholesaler’s category managers then determined the major product categories. In the case of French and Italian restaurants, for example, such categories included herbs, wine and fresh fish. They simultaneously defined the strategy that would bring about short-term as well as long-term growth. The next step involved developing prices, discounts, sales channels and the marketing message. This focus on the customer has paid off: since the introduction of the approach in January 2013, sales among the core target groups of “Izakaya”, “Asian”, “Teishoku” and “European” have increased by 11 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.