Valora
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| Type | Public (parent company Valora Holding AG traded under VALN) |
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| Industry | Retail, Trading, Press, Books |
| Founded | 1905 / 1986 (Holding) |
| Headquarters |
Valora Holding AG in Bern, Switzerland, Valora AG in Muttenz, Switzerland |
| Key people | Thomas Vollmoeller (CEO) Rolando Benedick (Chairman) Lorenzo Trezzini(CFO) |
| Products | Kiosk and convenience products, coffee, press |
| Revenue | 2.86 billion CHF (2005) |
| Employees | 6'500 FTE (as of end of 2009) |
| Website | http://www.valora.com/ |
Valora (also known as Valora Group and Valora Holding AG) is a Swiss retail holding company.
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[edit] History
Valora goes back to the Schweizer Chocoladen & Colonialhaus, which was founded in Olten, Switzerland in 1905, which later became known as Merkur AG. In 1986, Merkur AG was made into a holding company, Merkur Holding AG, and in 1996, the company was renamed to today's Valora Holding AG.
[edit] General
Valora is operating on a Europe-wide scale in three business areas (Retail, Services and Trade). These three divisions’ businesses are focused on supplying consumer markets with strong sales potential.
In small-outlet retail, the Group’s Valora Retail division operates through four brand names k kiosk, avec., Caffè Spettacolo and Presse und Buch (in English, press and books). Valora Media runs the Group’s press distribution business, while Valora Trade is a major distributor of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG).
In its 2009 financial year, Valora generated some 3 billion Swiss francs in turnover and employed some 6,500 staff (on a full-time equivalent basis).[citation needed]
The Valora Group’s history began with the «Schweizer Chocoladen & Colonialhaus», a firm established in Olten, Switzerland in 1905. Later, this was to develop into Merkur AG, which became a holding company (Merkur Holding AG) in 1986, before adopting its present name of Valora Holding AG in 1996.
[edit] Business areas
[edit] Valora Retail
Valora Retail runs a Europe-wide network of kiosks and other small-outlet retail units located at heavily frequented sites. The division operates a distribution system for press products, consumer staples and items for the impulse purchase market.
Valora Retail operates kiosk and railway station bookstores in Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg. The product range on offer encompasses press titles, tobacco products, food and non-food items, as well as services. In Switzerland, its domestic market, Valora Retail operates a network of more than 1,000 k kiosk outlets throughout the country. In Luxembourg, the division operates some 80 kiosks, selling newspapers, magazines, books, tobacco products, convenience articles, lottery tickets and phone cards. In Germany, more than 1 million customers buy newspapers, periodicals, tobacco products and convenience articles from the more than 200 bookstores which Valora Retail Germany operates at German railway stations and airports. These outlets are run under the k presse + buch and k bookstore banners. In 2009, two shops using this same concept were also opened in Switzerland.
In more than 100 avec. outlets in Switzerland and the first avec. German unit grocery and impulse purchase items are available after the usual shop closing times. The focus here is on essential supermarket items. Besides fresh produce, a range of private label and branded goods is on offer, as are a variety of kiosk articles.
Caffè Spettacolo brings a contemporary interpretation to classic Italian coffee culture.
[edit] Valora Services
The Valora Services division is a distributor of international press products and books. Its logistics system not only supplies media products to Valora Retail’s 1,430 or so outlets, but to third party customers in Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg as well.
In Switzerland, the division is the largest independent media distributor offering international press and book products. Valora Services links publishers to their retail customers in German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and Luxembourg. The services it provides include picking, sorting and packing, distribution and sales promotion.
[edit] Valora Trade
Valora Trade provides tailor-made, modular distribution and marketing solutions to the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Its offerings include modern category and key account management services, sales, merchandising and advisory services on retail outlet yield management.
With its own distribution companies in eight European national markets, Valora Trade operates a supply network. The division provides access to more than 130 million consumers to the manufacturers of numerous internationally renowned brands.[citation needed]
