Taking care of Romania

Penny Market is the first retailer in Romania to obtain the Energy Management certification (ISO 50001) – an important recognition for the work of almost two years. With an investment of nearly EUR 4 million, Penny Market has over 200 stores certified, becoming the largest food network from Romania with this certification. This means that REWE Romania has promised to save significant amounts of energy in all operations, reduce operational costs, monitor energy efficiency and further develop sustainable reputation. It was a huge responsibility and we had to involve the entire REWE Romania team and partners to stand tall for accomplishing our mission. And the results were amazing: all stakeholders got aware of the project and are committed to making a difference in the retail sector. Now they work side by side to continue being a positive influence on the Romanian retail sector. This was just the beginning.

TASK/OPPORTUNITY & PLANNING

It was the beginning of 2017. We were all happy, proud, and excited to start talking about the important news that surrounded REWE Romania. But, before doing so, we had to be well-prepared. Our responsibility was huge: we were the first retailer in Romania receiving the certification ISO 50001. So, we needed a detailed plan that would include all our stakeholders.

The brief was simple and exciting: after an investment of almost 4 million euro in the energetic management of the stores in Romania, at the beginning of 2017 Penny Market had over 200 stores that were certified according to ISO 50001, becoming the largest food retail network in Romania with this type of certification. An amazing reason to communicate and involve everyone at REWE Romania in the communication strategy. We took the brief, debated it for a while, and then created the communication strategy of “Taking care of Romania”.

Strategic Approach: The project started as a follow-up to the strategic directive of REWE Group in terms of sustainability. Being an international company, REWE Group is well aware of the special role it plays as an interface between producers, suppliers and consumers. For this reason, the sustainability strategy encompasses all of the company’s business operations to integrate a sustainable consumption approach across the entire market. The group’s objectives are challenging and address complex issues.

The Idea | Taking care of Romania: “Taking care of Romania” is a project that talks mainly about responsibility. Responsibility of a company present in more than 150 cities in Romania, with 226 stores and 3 logistics warehouses. The responsibility of 4,000 employees and the responsibility of more than 200,000 customers passing through the stores every day. For PENNY Market Romania, the implementation of the ISO 50001 energy efficiency standards marked the moment when the entire network turned to GREEN and became the first Romanian retailer to receive this certification after a long training period of about one year.

EXECUTION

As a first step of the project, Penny Market started a development strategy that included investments in photovoltaic panels, heat pump, natural lighting facilitation, intelligent metering for some shops, refrigeration and butchering. This was the first step in positioning the Penny Market store chain as a responsible, sustainable, transparent party. Together with Renovatio, Penny Market opened the first electric charging station in the perimeter of a Penny Market. The station is in the parking lot of the Penny Market store in Busteni, offering the possibility for hybrid and electric cars running on Prahova Valley to charge for longer distances. The intention is to extend this service to entire network of Penny Market stores.

Under the concept “Care of Romania”, the company completed the installation of the photovoltaic roof of the Penny Market store in Videle. The purpose of the project was to cover part of the energy consumption of Penny Market in the city with the help of photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of the store – a total power of 54 kW.

REWE employees and partners are some of the most important ambassadors of implementing the energy management system. The 4,000 REWE Romania employees have been permanently trained on the program, evaluated according to the principles of energy efficiency, and have been rewarded for their involvement in obtaining the certificate. Furthermore, prior to receiving the certification, while the investments were undergoing, an important part of the project was letting the team know that they are an important part of the energy efficiency plan. It was critical for them to understand how changing some small habits at work, while driving or at home, can have a huge effect on the overall results of the management system of the company. This is why all the company cars, open spaces, offices and meeting spaces were crowded with call to action stickers – turn of the light, close the window/door, keep the AC on auto mode, were just few of the messages which were in everyone’s face.

Penny Market is the FIRST retailer in Romania receiving the certification ISO 50001. Therefore, it is the first retailer to launch a complex campaign for communicating the big moment. “It has been a long-term process – we started the procedures in March 2016, and we were ready for the audit at the beginning of 2017. This required a great dedication and resources from all our teams. Of course, our plans do not stop here and we will continue our investment plan with the systems of energetic efficiency”, declared Daniel Gross, General Manager REWE Romania. It is a responsibility that REWE Romania holds in order to deliver its mission for a green environment. Everything we did and everything we are going to do in the future stands for one sole purpose: being a strong voice in Romania when it comes to protecting the environment, by involving our entire team and all the stakeholders in supporting the development of a sustainable business.

RESULTS

• 000 employees involved in communicating ISO 50001 and the changes in the Penny Market network.
• 100% positive appreciation from the media and REWE Romania stakeholders. Sustainable changes in the local store network and a visible positive effect on the environment.
• A continuous communication with all stakeholders and a clear strategic path to continue protecting the environment through a sustainable mission.
• Receive mentions in top CSR, retail & business publications
• Got 100% involvement from the Penny Market team in communicating and promoting the project
• REWE Romania/Penny Market is recognized as a sustainable, environment-friendly organization.