Annual Report 2019 Non-financial information statement Annual Non-financial Report information statement 2019 Letter from the Chairman page 4 Letter from the Governing Council page 6 EROSKI, 50 years with you page 8 Key data 2019 page 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 EROSKI “With you” Healthy eating Employees Value chain Environment Social action Transparency business model and network page 12 page 32 page 42 page 54 page 80 page 92 page 116 page 126 Annex page 164 Independent verification reports page 184 Letter from the Chairman 102-14 everal reasons make 2019 a landmark year for EROSKI. shopping, and the growth of the "green" and "local" mar- erate our efforts in this direction, driven by the collective One of them is undoubtedly the celebration of kets. This hyper-communicated society demands rapid internal strength that has enabled us to get this far and S our 50th anniversary. In addition, we have closed changes (at a rate never seen before) from companies which will surely enable us to earn our place in the future a good refinancing agreement and renovated a high in all kinds of sectors, from institutions..., from everyone. by responding to all that society expects and deserves percentage of our network of stores to the "with you" Food does not escape this trend: we associate it with all from EROSKI. model. It has also been a year of notable progress in the good and all the evil that happens to us: health, dis- projects related to health and sustainability, such as ease, pollution (plastics in the seas, palm oil, deforesta- I encourage you to read this annual report to learn more the increasing implementation of Nutri-Score advanced tion, the end of resources...). And the shop is the place about our performance in 2019 and our actions derived nutritional labelling - an area in which we are pioneers where all those worries crystallize, becoming visible. There from our commitment to sustainable development, which among distributors in Spain - as well as providing our is only one way to deal with this situation: take on the we endorsed in 2002 with our adhesion to the Global customers with alternatives to traditional plastic bags change, accept the challenge and build the solutions. Compact and which we renew annually, in line with our and more sustainable alternative packaging. Likewise, And we're not going to hide. We declare ourselves co- mission and with our determined aim to contribute signifi- the approval of the new Law on Cooperatives provides us responsible and assume our share of the responsibility to cantly to the achievement of the 17 United Nations Sus- with a more specific regulatory framework that enables act accordingly. We want to change our performance as tainable Development Goals (SDGs). We hope you find us to compete and develop on an equal footing with a distribution company and we also want to influence our our report interesting and inspiring. other organisations with different legal structures Client Partners to change theirs through information and training. It is up to EROSKI to act for social transformation The merger of seven small consumer cooperatives back with our co-operative project, seeking sustainable wel- Thank you. in 1969 was the seed of this group which, after half a cen- fare and, to this end, we must focus our efforts more on tury of operation, has become one of the main distribu- action than on justification. tors in Spain. Fifty years of a business project based on people and cooperation. Along this path, we at EROSKI EROSKI today is a clear result of work with a great ca- have remained very close to consumers, evolving at the pacity to contribute to society. After a remarkable 2019 same time as society and adapting to their needs and in which we have celebrated half a century of existence, consumption habits. And we have done so while staying we will redouble our efforts to offer our Client Partners and true to our core purpose and cooperative nature. Con- consumers ever more options to make their purchases tributing to improving the quality of life and having a pos- and consumption healthier and more sustainable from a itive influence on sustainable development are two of the social and environmental point of view. We will also focus Agustín Markaide historic commitments that EROSKI made to consumers on technological development, which will allow us inno- Chairman of the EROSKI Group and society from the start, and today they continue to be vative developments as diverse as a generation of much defining characteristics which have structured our evo- more energy efficient stores, tools that allow personalised lution over time as a consumer organisation and a very offers for customers or commercial models of sections active driving force in social responsibility. that promote a personal and direct relationship with the brand. We will work to offer a wide range of channels and We face the challenges and trends posed by today's formats from which consumers can make their purchas- consumer: multi-channel sales, convenience shopping, es. We have already travelled a long way along this path, the needs of senior citizens, health care, experiential but there is still a great deal to do, and we want to accel- 4 | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 | EROSKI EROSKI | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 | 5 Letter from the Governing Council of EROSKI am making this reflection on what 2019 has meant for The present is full of new challenges and we are pre- our co-operative project at an exceptional time, the pared to face them with our strengths as an organisation. I COVID-19 health crisis, which will condition at least With the commitment of our Employee Partners and the the immediate future of our society and therefore also of involvement of our Client Partners, whose participation EROSKI. This situation has highlighted the need for some- has been decisive in initiatives committed to health and thing that characterises us as an organisation and which sustainability, two elements that are the spearhead of our in 2019 we have recognised on the 50th anniversary of offer to the consumer. A clear example of this commit- our creation: to place people at the centre of our work, to ment is the award of the NAOS Prize in 2019 by the Span- direct the efforts of each person to the benefit of the com- ish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency, which recognises munity and to nurture support for society and especially our contribution to the adoption of healthy eating habits for the most disadvantaged. among the population. After 50 years of cooperative work, in 2019 we have seen 2019 has also been a year which has seen important significant progress in adapting our organisation to the decisions in the corporate field. We have reached a needs of our Consumer Partners, with clear commitments solid agreement for financial restructuring and the new to key aspects such as health and sustainability. Our gov- Law on Cooperatives represents a strengthening of our ernance model, in which the decision-making capacity project. Both of these reinforce our ability to face the fu- of the Employee Partners and Consumer Partners sets the ture with optimism and with renewed enthusiasm in the guidelines for our project, is proving effective in making task ahead, to continue providing greater levels of wel- our commitment to the social environment a reality. fare to society in our sphere of activity. Over these five decades - through collaboration, dedica- The achievements seen as a result of working to our for- tion, professionalism and social sensitivity - many people mula of cooperation and a focus on consumers have within our organisation have made a decisive contri- been very important in these 50 years. Our contribution bution to ensuring EROSKI is a benchmark in the sector to the wellbeing of society shows that the formula works. today and our defining characteristics identify us as an We must persevere in this direction, always keeping clear organisation with a commitment to health and social wel- who the owners and key players of our project are, the fare. To all those people, I would like to express our most Employee Partners and the Client Partners, and every- sincere thanks. thing that EROSKI generates is for them, for the society in which it operates, promoting initiatives of support and Our evolution as a company has gone hand in hand with social responsibility, and always remembering that the fo- the transformations that have taken place in society. And cus of our work will always be to improve people's quality the unique nature of our organisation has allowed us to be of life. That is why EROSKI was set up as a consumer coop- ahead of the curve. Since our beginnings we have built erative 50 years ago, and we must always bear it in mind. our project based on proximity to the consumers, who have been the catalyst of our work and our actions, in or- der to adapt these to their needs and consumption habits. Leire Mugerza Chairwoman of the Governing Council of EROSKI 6 | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 | EROSKI EROSKI | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 | 7 1969 1971 1977 1978 1981 Birth of EROSKI S. Coop. Opening of the first Launch of the Opening of the first Opening of the first from the merger of shops in Navarre EROSKI own- EROSKI franchised EROSKI Hypermarket seven small consumer brand supermarket cooperatives Start of the "Consumer Schools" 1983 1989 1990 1991 1996 1997 Constitution as First distributor Launch of the first Birth First "Operation kilo" Birth of the an association of to withdraw CFC EROSKI branded of FORUM SPORT in support of the Food EROSKI consumers aerosols from sale in product with a Bank Foundation Spain Denomination of Origin Inauguration of the automated silo at the Creation of the E Elorrio platform logo 1998 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 Integration of Opening of Sale of the first Fair Launch of the First Sustainability Launch of the VEGALSA into the the online Trade certified products first EROSKI Red Report first gluten-free EROSKI Group supermarket Visa payment products Adherence to the card.