In this episode, I talk to Olaf Maecker, Vice President of AI & Automation at METRO.digital, about how artificial intelligence is evolving from a buzzword to a real business lever at METRO. Olaf explains how applications such as the Intelligent Sales Assistant support the Sales Force, how AI accelerates content production, and where new use cases are emerging in Procurement, Marketing, and Logistics. He shows how the AI Factory is creating a platform and organisation that makes AI solutions scalable – and why success depends not only on technology, but also on AI culture. A special highlight: Olaf is confronted with three surprising questions – not from me, but from the AI itself. In this unique section The AI asks Olaf a synthetic voice challenges him on topics such as ethics, data and the balance between people and AI. And as always, there is a personal Sound Souvenir at the end.

In the second part of our double episode of our MORE Podcast, I talk to Matthias Bühler, METRO's Customer & Sales Officer, about the introduction of the Target Operating Model (TOM) and the advantages of merging business and IT. He believes that real transformation can only be achieved through collaboration between people. We also explore how a standardised CRM tool could improve processes in the sales organisation and which routine tasks could be taken over by AI in the future.

For many restaurateurs and traders, METRO is a reliable partner for a successful business. The basis for a sustainably profitable relationship for both sides is fair prices and mutual benefits. In the first episode of our two-part series with Matthias Bühler, Customer & Sales Officer at METRO, you will learn how we standardise our pricing processes and achieve true price leadership with data-driven analysis. Matthias also explains how we ensure profitability ‘by design’ with individual partnership agreements with our customers.

“Sorry, no card payments accepted!” That's a sign that no restaurant guest is ever happy to see. In this episode, we reveal how the stress of paying with cash when visiting a restaurant could finally come to an end. In my very insightful conversation with Volker Gläser, CEO of METRO subsidiary DISH Digital Solutions, we discuss, among other things, the new DISH Pay Now. The mobile card reader offers restaurant guests and, above all, restaurateurs and traders a simple and cost-efficient solution for cashless payments. How digital innovations are revolutionising the restaurant industry and making it fit for the future, you will hear in this new and 100 percent analogue-free episode of MORE Podcast - Wholesale to the Max!

The METRO's highway to growth is called Food Service Distribution (FSD). In the past financial year, we have already stepped on the gas here and increased our delivery sales to almost €8 billion – that is already more than a quarter of METRO's total sales. But what is behind this success? In addition to METRO's own delivery service, specialised delivery services play a decisive role. These culinary experts serve specific customer segments – from fine dining to large-scale gastronomy – and are also on a growth path. In our new episode of our MORE Podcast, I talk to Julius Osthues, Vice President FSD Portfolio Management at METRO AG, and we take a closer look at these ‘specialists’ and their role in METRO's FSD strategy. What makes them so special? How do they differ? And what can each learn from the other? You can only find out here in the MORE Podcast!

METRO has declared 2025 the 'Year of Own Brand'. Everyone in the company is now called upon to activate their superpowers to further increase the sales share of METRO Chef, Aro, Sigma and Co. Want to know what it takes? Then follow me into the world of METRO's own brands in our latest episode of MORE Podcast. Together with Jens Bresler, responsible for own brand management at METRO since 2022, we will give you an understanding of our own brand strategy to achieve our sCore goals. Jens reveals how they not only help to differentiate the company, but also strengthen customer loyalty. He also gives us an exciting insight into the 'Year of Own Brand' campaign. And to wrap it up, Jens presents us with his Sound Souvenir, which activates his own extra powers. An episode like a superhero comic, full of great insights that you don't want to miss!

Welcome back to MORE Podcast! After a short break, we are back with a very special episode: We take you to the METRO Leadership Summit 2024, where our top leaders discussed the current status and latest developments of our sCore strategy. Experience our CEO Steffen Greubel reflecting on the past financial year and launching the ‘Year of the Own Brand’. Hear CFO Eric Riegger speak about our ambitious growth targets and the cost leadership that is needed to achieve them. And be inspired by COO Christiane Giesen and CCMO Guillaume Deruyter, who emphasise the importance of collaboration and team spirit and present the key priorities for the further implementation of sCore. Look forward to exciting insights, inspiring messages and, last but not least, my personal Sound Souvenir!

Welcome back to MORE Podcast – Wholesale to the Max, the podcast where you can find out everything you need to know about the implementation of our sCore strategy. I'm really excited to be talking about our growth strategy again soon with our great colleagues – from both a professional and personal perspective. New episodes will be dropping from mid-January, so make sure you're subscribed for exclusive insights from the latest Leadership Summit, updates on the 'Year of Own Brand', and many more interesting sCore topics. Stay tuned for the next episodes and I'm really looking forward to getting started with you again!

METRO's own brands are of crucial importance to us in achieving our sCore targets. For METRO's non-food assortment, they are set to become the growth driver par excellence. In this area, the sales share of our own brands is expected to grow to an incredible 70 percent by 2030! In the latest episode of MORE Podcast, I talk to Michael Ciesielski, Senior Vice President Non-food METRO AG and CEO of METRO Sourcing, about how we at METRO want to achieve this ambitious goal. He is convinced: "With our non-food assortment we differentiate ourselves from the competition for our customers". How important METRO's e-commerce business is in this context and how Michael brings our METRO Fundamentals to life in his daily work is what you will find out in this episode. Have fun listening!

MAKRO Poland has been on the market for a proud 30 years, reason enough to talk about it. In my interview with the CEO of MAKRO Poland, Dominik Branny, you can find out what market position our colleagues there have achieved during this time and, above all, what growth targets they have set themselves as part of our sCore strategy up to 2030. In addition to all the business topics, we also get to know Dominik personally. What is important to him in his job, but also in life? And of course, his Sound Souvenir should not be missing in this episode either. Like all my guests, Dominik brings us a sound that inspires him, motivates him or reminds him of something special. Let yourself be surprised and look forward to great stories in this episode of MORE Podcast!

Here's the latest dish from METRO's MORE Podcast kitchen! I'm serving you a great menu with everything your heart desires: fish, meat and fruit & vegetables - in other words, the Ultra-Fresh assortments at METRO and MAKRO. Join me and my guest, Emmanuel Langdorf, Vice President Global Ultra-Fresh Management at METRO AG, on a tour through the METRO wholesale store in Düsseldorf. And find out what impact changing customer behaviour and climate change have on our sourcing at METRO and how we still manage to keep product availability, quality and prices stable. Enjoy the new episode, everything is 100% home-made and cooked with love!

How do we convince our customers to purchase more and more often at METRO? In the latest edition of MORE Podcast, I talk to Gilles Babikian, Vice President Sales Excellence at METRO AG, about our sCore strategy and the development of our global sales organisation. He reveals how our multichannel approach gives our customers the choice via which channels they want to purchase our products and how we are transforming from a pure product supplier to a partnership-based solution provider. You will also get to know Gilles personally and find out what Sound Souvenir he has brought us. Have fun listening! 🎧

Trust, understanding and knowing your partner's needs - that's what makes a good relationship. What counts in life naturally also applies to a stable business relationship. In this episode of MORE Podcast, I talk to Tino Hölters, Head of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) at METRO AG, about how METRO uses a variety of data to provide its customers with the best possible support. You can also find out how CRM is playing a key role in shaping the future of wholesale, as well as the challenges and exciting steps METRO still has ahead of it on the road to optimising customer relationships. Have fun listening!

Can METRO achieve the goals of its sCore strategy and be a responsible and sustainable company at the same time? A clear "yes" is the answer given by Ivonne Bollow, Senior Vice President Corporate Responsibility & Public Policy at METRO AG, in this episode of MORE Podcast. In fact, she goes one step further: achieving METRO's sustainability goals is an important contribution to the company's growth strategy. How we achieve our climate and sCore targets and actively represent the interests of our customers at the political level is the topic of this edition of MORE Podcast - Wholesale to the max.

In this episode of MORE Podcast - Wholesale to the max, we take another comprehensive look at METRO's sCore strategy and talk about the delivery business as one of the growth drivers of the company. My guest Joachim Lindner, responsible for the Multichannel Network Transformation at METRO, gives us a deep insight into the future of our wholesale stores and how they are preparing for the delivery business of tomorrow. METRO is currently creating the conditions for the targeted tripling of delivery sales by 2030. In future, the METRO and MAKRO locations will not only work as traditional wholesale stores, but also as logistics warehouses for the delivery of our hospitality and trader customers.

We take you into the exciting world of procurement at METRO! Every year, we source around €2 billion worth of products for our customers. In this episode, we reveal how we provide our professional customers in the hospitality industry and smaller retailers with a tailor-made assortment. Also learn how our sCore strategy ensures that our products are always available and how we continue to increase the share of METRO's high-quality own brands. Therefore, Bertrand Mothe, Chief Procurement Officer at METRO, is my guest in this episode of MORE Podcast - Wholesale to the max.

This year's METRO Leadership Summit was an important milestone on the journey of our sCore growth strategy. In this special episode of the MORE Podcast, I bring you the highlights of the meeting, where more than 300 leaders from all METRO countries gathered to discuss the next steps for sCore. I have compiled the most important topics and insights from the Leadership Summit for you. Tune in and let the statements of the board members inspire you and guide you in your daily work. And even though I don't have a guest this time, don't worry, there's still the ever-popular Sound Souvenir. This time it's my very own sound straight from the Leadership Summit. So get ready for an informative and entertaining episode of MORE Podcast!

It's the good old basic principle of wholesale: the more you buy of a product, the less you have to pay for it. Sounds simple and it is. At METRO, this pricing system is called "„Buy More Pay Less“", or BMPL for short. And it is one of the measures that make METRO's sCore growth strategy so successful. Why that is and why it's sometimes not so easy to simplify things is what I talk about in this episode of MORE Podcast with Matthias Dutschmann, Managing Director Offer Management and Supply Chain at METRO Germany.

In this episode of MORE Podcast, I talk to Peter Gries, Customer & Sales Officer at METRO AG, about the importance of customer understanding and customer acquisition. He explains the characteristics of the typical METRO customer and how METRO can best serve them to support their business. We also look at topics such as customer behaviour, building customer relationships, sales strategies, the role of digital tools and the use of data for customer relationship management. We also look at pricing and its role in METRO's wholesale transformation. At the end of the episode, Peter shares his Sound Souvenir with us.

Smaller retailers are finding it increasingly difficult to survive against the large hypermarket companies. Many of the family businesses are struggling for bare survival. But METRO's franchise concept offers them the perfect opportunity to transform their business into modern convenience stores and thus make them fit for a secure future. In this episode of MORE Podcast, I talk to METRO's franchise expert, Daniel Quest. He explains to us what our franchise concept looks like in detail and what special significance Trader customers have for METRO's growth in the context of the sCore strategy.