Client Story
Pearsons Consulting Ltd supported METRO France to go one step further with its sustainable strategy, by helping the business to define a clear and meaningful purpose. METRO France wishes to support its economic growth ambitions while creating a positive impact on the environment and society.
METRO France decided to take responsibility beyond its business by placing greater emphasis on social and environmental actions.
The company aimed for a comprehensive long-term strategy to bring consistency and leverage actions toward a more sustainable business model. Having a key role in the food supply chain, METRO France wanted not only to act responsibly from a sustainability standpoint, but also to increase visibility for its actions. As such, the company wanted to create momentum and engage all its employees and external stakeholders in the shared motivating ambition of making a productive difference to the environment and society.
Pearsons Consulting Ltd, in partnership with Sparknews, opted for an iterative approach involving more than 100 collaborators and external stakeholders. Through more than 20 individual interviews and a dozen workshops, the joint team collected specific information and created the narrative for METRO France that laid the foundation for the company’s “purpose”. This work involved a thorough understanding of METRO France’s identity, the social and environmental challenges it could or would like to address, and the company’s vision of adding value to the evolution of society. Being at the center of the food supply chain, METRO France decided to focus on areas related to: the availability of food and non-food resources; the fair value chain from farmers to final clients; and the Paris Agreement on climate change, effective since 2016.
Defining the “purpose” was the first step of the narrative, followed by the so-called “path”, showing how METRO France intends to achieve its long-term goals. This path has also been developed in workshops leading to the definition of different pillars, such as the goal of accelerating the switch toward a sustainable offer. Some of the actions have already been launched by METRO France, such as the definition of a score to assess the impact of each product in the portfolio on society and the environment.
METRO France now has a clear and meaningful goal that paves the way for it to become a leader in corporate social responsibility.
All C-level stakeholders at METRO France are now aligned on a common ambition and will now focus on how to implement this new approach in the business strategy for the coming years. To further ensure that strategic changes are integrated holistically across the company, Pearsons Consulting Ltd and Sparknews will now work with METRO France to onboard all its 9 000 employees to understand the purpose and to see how they can contribute to its successful implementation.
Over the past few months, the work performed with Pearsons Consulting Ltd and Sparknews on defining our purpose through the narrative of METRO France has been a real accelerator of our transformation toward better integration of sustainability key questions within our business. This has helped align our executives with a common ambition, prompting us to ask deep and complex questions about our role beyond business. Although we don't have all the answers at the moment, we are on the right path toward transformation, and we are confident that we will find the answers progressively.
Marie Garnier, Quality and sustainability director at METRO France
METRO France is a leading wholesaler with 99 warehouses spread throughout the country. The company provides a global offer combining the supply of food products from ultra-fresh to dry, and their supplements in equipment and services. Its 9,000 employees put their expertise to the service of 800 000 customers.
