The power of synergy

Eurobuy’s predecessor organisation called Toomax-x was originally established by Toom and Baumax (Austria) as a buying cooperative. For a long time the business office was based at Rewe in Cologne. With the exit of Toom at the end of 2011 the search was on, not only for a new name but for a new address as well. Since October 2011 Eurobuy has been domiciled in Rodenkirchen, a district of Cologne. Heading the organisation is managing director Peer de Lange, who moved over from Baywa’s buying company, ZES, in 2012. The current partners of Too­max-x are the Swiss Coop (Bau+ Hobby) and Rautakesko, a subsidiary of the Finnish Kesko Group, in addition to Baumax. They trade in a combined total of 18 countries, operate over 600 DIY stores and generate around € 6 bn annually. A sourcing partner from the Far East is also on board: the Hong Kong-based Eurogroup takes care of the interface in the Asian trading area. Peer de Lange began his work as MD of Eurobuy in Cologne on 1 July 2012. Eurobuy’s international partners consciously held onto this location since Germany has always been the organisation’s most important sourcing market. This is also the reason why there is a fundamental willingness to get into discussions with a partner from the home country. For 2013 de Lange has initiated a full strategic repositioning programme for Eurobuy. This change of paradigms in the cooperative rests on an “assortment-based approach”: over the past ten years Eurobuy has compared purchase prices and achieved purchasing advantages through volume bundling – based as a rule on individual items or sub-ranges. However, in the future the organisation wants to focus more strongly on profit-oriented sourcing strategies. This will require working very closely together with industry. This in turn means the integration of a category-oriented approach. Moreover, the topic of e-sourcing is very much to the fore in 2013. All invitations to tender are in web-based form. Eurobuy’s online-based ‘Vemap’ system was switched on in 2012 and the existing spectrum of 450 suppliers considerably extended as a result. This B2B portal is intended to be the central communications interface with suppliers – whether in the shape of tender, auction or with regard to supplier management. A new wind is blowing through Eurobuy in terms of organisational structure. The twelve-member team has been divided into two buying areas: outdoor/living and building/technology. Since 1 April the latter has been directed by a…