Czech Republic

The first Vietnamese immigrants arrived in the Czech Republic 60 years ago. Today, the Vietnamese culture has made its mark on the country in many different ways. Restaurants and bars can be found in many places, as can small shops specialising in certain goods. For good reason, MAKRO Cash & Carry therefore decided to designate the nearly 80,000-strong Vietnamese community as a distinct target group. In 2010, the self-service wholesaler started an initiative in the Czech Republic with the goal of supporting the approximately 3,000 Vietnamese retailers operating in the country. In the meantime, this project has been placed under the care of a 20-person sales team composed exclusively of Vietnamese-speaking employees. Their language skills allow them quick insight into the needs of the target group. The specialists use this acquired knowledge to develop individualised offers for their customers and advise them in business issues. Special training opportunities convey additional business skills. This effort is paying off: today, the target group constitutes 30 per cent of the wholesaler’s entire Trader business. And since 2010, MAKRO Cash & Carry Czech Republic has its sales with Vietnamese retailers nearly doubled.