GDI: Mr. Tort, the predecessor of your company was founded by Gottlieb Duttweiler 70 years ago. Is there still some Swiss DNA in today’s Migros Ticaret?
Özgür Tort: Migros was founded with the vision of Gottlieb Duttweiler in Switzerland as a business model ahead of its time, creating a shift in grocery retail. Since then, invention and change culture have been engraved in our DNA in parallel with this vision. We still keep this purpose at the core of our business. Even our purpose is very similar today. We pave the way for a better future by embracing our customers, associates, community, and the planet.
You are leading a retail company with a long and successful tradition. For mastering tomorrow’s challenges, is this tradition more an asset or more a liability?
Shopping has now become an immersive experience as the most frequent transaction of our everyday life. So, we put in all our effort to shape the future of retail with the strength we get from this tradition. We expand our retail-verse with the new-generation services to reform, repair, and regenerate our ecosystem. In this case, this tradition is a very valuable asset for us to overcome challenges. Eventually, this asset turns into an important responsibility since all innovations are demanded from us by our customers.
Some say: retail is all about trust. Others: it’s all about convenience – or about the price, or about the relation between price and quality. What do you think: what is retail all about?
The stores are transforming into hubs for our customers in terms of physical and online services. Leading this transformation, we created an “all-in-one” approach through our multi-format, omni-channel and integrated initiatives. This approach brings a wide range of healthier products, making it affordable and accessible for shoppers. We are working all together with our suppliers, farmers, cooperatives, stakeholders, associates and business partners to strengthen trust further.
What is the most impactful driver for change at Migros Ticaret: its management or its customers, the competition or new technology?
As a customer-centric retailer, we keep an eye on the fast-paced change in the needs of consumers. We live in a world of speed and to lead this trend in our sector, we have a goal to reach our customers within 15 minutes either online or physical. With the rapid adaptation of new technologies to our lives such as AI, blockchain, traceability, product tagging and robotic systems, our business model has been reshaped and we bravely lead the change. Sustainability is a top agenda in terms of people and planet and as a responsible company, it is at the core of our strategy as well. Our “Better Future Plan” covers sustainability in many ways such as carbon reduction, water management, sustainable agriculture, healthy and balanced nutrition, food and plastic waste reduction, circular economy, gender equality and many more.
What is the most important difference between your company today and 10 years ago? And what might be the most important difference between your company today and in future?
Many years ago, we started to build the infrastructure of new business lines related to retail and transformed our company. This transformation brought the “beyond trade” approach to us. Our plan is to create another Migros in value within 5 years through our new subsidiaries, such as e-wallet & financial services, data driven retail media, electric vehicle charging stations, food delivery service, ready-to-eat hygienic packaged food and so on. We keep pushing the boundaries to expand our retail-verse.