COOP Jednota Slovakia is a consumer cooperative consisting of 30 regional COOP Jednotas –in- cluding their members, 9 logistics centres and the COOP Jednota Foundation. Each regional COOP Jednota has its own membership base. The total number of ordinary members of the COOP Jednota group was 109,960 on 31 December 2021.

The main mission of COOP Jednota Slovakia is to ensure the social and economic prosperity of the cooperative and its members, namely by creating tools and adopting measures so that its members, the individual COOP Jednotas, can maintain their share of the market. In addition, COOP Jednota Slovakia protects the rights and interests of the members of the cooperative, representing them and promoting their interests within organs and institutions both in the Slovak Republic and abroad.

The fundamental strategic goals of COOP Jednota Slovakia and the COOP Jednota group are: to bring common procedures together under one roof and ensure uniformity for all members; to in- tegrate the purchase, distribution and selling of fruit and vegetables; to support sales of Slovak products; to extend the functionality in logistics centres; to strengthen corporate identity in both the immediate and external environments.

The most highly recognised value within the COOP Jednota group as a whole is customer satisfac- tion, which we aim to achieve by having creative and happy employees and by having good relations with trade partners as well.

COOP Jednota Slovakia is a significant shareholder in COOP Euro, a. s., OPTIMA, a. s., Nitra, DRU, a. s., Zvolen, VIC, a. s. Mojmírovce, FROP, a. s., etc.

In 2021 the COOP Jednota regional consumer retail cooperatives operating under the COOP Jed- nota brand achieved a retail turnover of €1.620 billion, which is an increase of more than 3% on 2020. Revenue from the sale of COOP Jednota goods and own products was €1.371 billion, repre- senting year-on-year growth of 2.9%. COOP Jednota Group logistics centres generated revenues of€0.619 billion, a decrease of 0.6% on 2020. Total retail and wholesale revenue for the COOP Jednota Group was €1.990 billion in 2021, which is a rise of 1.8% compared to 2020.

In 2021 the consumer cooperatives opened 16 stores for customers across Slovakia. The COOP Jednota Group maintained its market position as the market leader in grocery sales among retail chains, despite the fact that the pandemic did not significantly affect the expanding competition. As in previous years in 2021 the COOP Jednota Group did not deviate from its long-term goal of offe- ring customers the greatest number of products from Slovak producers. These account for 63–71% of the products on offer in COOP Jednota stores and far outstrips that of the other retail chains.

In 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect life in Slovakia and the world generally; however, there was less fluctuation in consumer behaviour than in the first waves in 2020. Consequently the pandemic and the associated restrictions on public life did not have a marked effect on the overall retail turnover of the COOP Jednota Group. Nonetheless the pandemic did affect the smaller COOP Jednota stores, some of which had to close temporarily and were unable to supply goods to inhabi- tants in some rural areas owing to staff shortages due to sickness, quarantine and school closures. Furthermore in 2021 compliance with the restrictions and the greater focus on customer, staff and store safety and hygiene continued to exert a financial burden on the regional COOP Jednotas.In view of the macroeconomic situation we can assume that the economic effects of the pandemic will not begin to show properly until the pandemic subsides. These can already be seen in the lar- gest ever price rises in inputs across the economy, seen particularly in energy, commodities and materials, not just in Slovakia but across the world. That will most probably lead to spiralling infla- tion, as the input prices will push up the cost of goods and ultimately wages. We expect that eco- nomic developments in 2022 will affect all business entities nationally, including those in the COOP Jednota Group, as well as households.

The aim of the COOP Jednota retail system is to achieve greatest proximity to the customer. As one of the largest, densest retail networks in Slovakia, comprising 2,033 stores, including 2,018 stores belonging to the three basic formats – Tempo Supermarket, Supermarket and Potraviny.

The Potraviny chain is the most widespread in Slovakia and its product range and store size is adapted to the needs of customers in rural areas and small towns. In 2021 the Potraviny chain con- tained 1,414 stores.

The Supermarket chain is designed for customers whose priority is convenience and consists of 584 stores with a floorspace of 200 m2 to 1,000 m2. Customer preferences are continually monito- red and the range and price of goods is aimed at both the ordinary shopper and more discerning shoppers. The number of Supermarket stores increases each year.

The COOP Jednota Tempo Supermarket format was created as a supermarket offering a wide range of good quality, fresh products and aiming to satisfy even the most demanding customer. Tempo Supermarket stores have a floorspace of 1,000 m2. In 2021 the COOP Jednota system con- tained 20 of these stores.COOP Jednota stores are supplied by nine logistics centres, which work hard each year to improve and expand their functionality.

The key themes in image promotion were the environment, the Foundation, Slovak products and private labels. COOP Jednota unveiled and launched its Jednotne-ekologicky environmental pro- ject, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the COOP Jednota Foundation and launched three new private labels. All the campaigns were promoted using the popular Shepherd and Shepherd Boy concept that COOP Jednota has been using for over a decade to target its customers. The concept has undergone subtle changes, with a new neighbour moving in next door to the Shepherd and the Shepherd Boy, which is intended to inject longevity into the concept. It also provides creative oppor- tunities for amusing scenarios and interactions between the main protagonists as well as viewers. The overall aim is to create positive associations and promote the key attributes of COOP Jednota’s image as the largest Slovak grocery retailer, which it has built up over the years.

The aim of this eco campaign is to focus customers’ attention on the work COOP Jednota is doing to make recycling easier for customers. COOP Jednota has come up with a series of symbols that will be displayed on its private label products to make it easier for customers to recycle and to learn about recycling. The project and the associated campaign are managed by OZV Natur-Pack s.r.o.

As part of preparations for the launch of the new deposit system, in which COOP Jednota has been very active, an instore campaign and five second TV teaser were launched. The tag-on spot was broadcast in December 2021 in conjunction with all product advertising spots. The aim was to let customers know that COOP Jednota would be introducing the new national deposit scheme on 1 January 2022 and gradually raise customer awareness.

In 2021 the COOP Jednota Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary. A TV campaign was launched to sum up the work of the Foundation over the last 20 years.

Private label products are an integral part of the product range and are a good quality and above all cheaper alternative to branded goods.

The aim was to unveil the new good quality, local produce concept for COOP Jednota’s fruit and ve- getable segment. The key message of the advertising campaign was: “Fruit & veg taste best fresh so we’re doing everything we can to get them to you from the grower as fast as we can. That way they taste like they’ve been freshly picked – from your own garden.” The campaign was dissemina- ted via TV and instore POS materials. When it launched it was the most dominant and spontaneously described campaign in the given timeframe. It reached two-thirds of the population. It was charac- teristically high in appeal and motivated large numbers to visit our retail stores and purchase the advertised products. It also boosted COOP Jednota’s reputation for freshness in the short-term and improved its status as the customer’s favourite store.

This campaign launched the new skin care brand and toiletries for men and women that is exclusive to COOP Jednota stores.

COOP Jednota launched its new household brand Perun during the pre-Christmas home cleaning period. Perun, like Biova, is a brand that is exclusive to COOP Jednota stores. Using this product range customers can clean their homes in a flash. Perun is the Old Slav god of thunder and lightning and formed the basis of the main campaign message.

The aim of this campaign was to highlight the number of Slovak producers that COOP Jednota works with and main message was: “More than a thousand honest local suppliers are working hard so COOP Jednota customers can find the best products grown, baked or manufactured in Slovakia every single day. Local products don’t travel far so they are always fresh when they reach the custo- mer.”

In 2021 COOP Jednota once again rewarded its loyal customers with attractive discounts and gifts as part of our sales promotions. Customers could purchase branded goods at a 50% discount. To obtain the discount all customers had to do was to spend €20 instore and in return they received a discount coupon.

During the barbecue season customers could “Enjoy a mouth-watering barbecue and a well-grilled discount” to spend on barbecue equipment, electric barbecues and barbecue accessories. This was COOP Jednota’s first multibrand offer consisting of a selected range of BergHOFF and Delimano products. Our youngest customers were not forgotten in 2021 either, with two sales promotions targeting children. The first was our summer campaign, the “Twit-a-woo” promotion of Dormeo owl motif bed linen. COOP Jednota was first on the market with this novelty. The second promotion was our regular COOP Jednota children’s album, where the aim is to teach young children about Slovakia in an entertaining way. Previous albums had focused on animals, castles and stately homes, and life on a farm so this time the theme was amazing places and things in Slovakia.

When respirators became obligatory COOP Jednota procured more than 1,000,000 respirators for its customers, which we distributed in April. Customers who spent €20 were given two free masks. Our aim was to ensure that customers living in rural areas with no pharmacies had access to masks without having to travel into the towns and cities.

Our cooperation with Mastercard gave customers the opportunity to get a €3 voucher. Customers who used their Mastercard to pay for at least €20 worth of shopping during the promotion were immediately given a voucher that they could use during their next shop. COOP Jednota distributed 100,000 vouchers to customers during the campaign.

The end of the year ushered in the traditional Slovak Christmas spirit. COOP Jednota unveiled a set of wooden Christmas decorations with regional folk motifs. Customer who spent €20 were given one of the white and gold decorations or they could buy the whole set which contained six bonus decorations with a red motif. In total we handed out 1,400,000 Christmas decorations.

In 2021 COOP Jednota held its three regular competitions. The Easter and Christmas competitions and our Wheel Crazy summer competition. These competitions are a great success because they are simple with basic rules. Customers simply have to buy a favourite product for €20 and are given a scratchcard. The scratchcard reveals whether the customer gets an instant prize or whether they are entered into the final big prize draw. The lucky winners received 580,000 instant prizes and drew shopping prizes totalling €290,000, 13 cars and another 240 valuable prizes.

The basic aim of COOP Jednota’s online marketing is to boost the key attributes of the COOP Jedno- ta brand, increase and expand its campaign reach, foster positive relations with the COOP Jednota brand and customers, and provide updates on the COOP Jednota Group’s CSR work. In 2021 the COOP Jednota, best home food, Facebook page had 166,388 fans.We uploaded 405 posts. The most successful of these related to the pre-premier TV spots and va- rious competitions. In 2021 the COOP Jednota Instagram account had 15,882 fans. The most suc- cessful Instagram posts related to (Non)traditional recipes and competitions.

In 2021 COOP Jednota launched a new online recipe collection called COOP Jednota (Non)traditional Recipes with the aim of setting up a presence in online cookery. This was accompanied by an online cookery show called Duel, featuring the new cookery duo Dominika Morávková and Dušan Platko. Our long-standing promotional pair the Shepherd and the Shepherd Boy were also featured, blog- ging from behind the scenes and judging the final dishes.

The year 2021 was the 22nd anniversary of the COOP Jednota private labels. In this year the product range was affected by numerous factors, including social and economic ones and the pandemic.

By the end of 2021 customers could find a wide range of products in COOP Jednota stores, from everyday groceries to cleaning products and toiletries. There were 745 private label products. The private label portfolio consists of categories and nests that have represented COOP Jednota for de- cades now, such as Traditional Quality or Good Price, as well as new categories added to the private label range in 2020, namely Perun and Biova.

The COOP Jednota Shopping Card is both part of the COOP Jednota loyalty programme and a mar- keting tool. In 2021 the Shopping Card was digitalised to provide loyalty cardholders with services such as online applications for Shopping Cards and duplicate cards and customers can now update their personal data online via the COOP website www.coop.sk.

Each year interest in the COOP Shopping Card increases. In 2021 there were 40,331 new cardholders.

As of 31 December 2021 COOP Jednota had a total of 1,306,425 loyalty cardhol- ders. Loyalty card purchases accounted for 55.20% of retail turnover. In 2021 customers received discounts of €8,933,928. The main motivation for having a loyalty card is that twice a year custo- mers can deduct a discount from their next shopping. They can do this twice a year, at the end of the six-month period, usually at Christmas and Easter. Through our cooperation with business part- ners we were able to offer loyalty cardholders shopping in COOP Jednota stores a total of 13 special offers in the form of discounts on selected products during 2021. COOP Jednota also continued its cooperation with external partners to offer loyalty cardholders further financial benefits.

The primary aim of the mobile app is to target rapid, direct marketing at customers. In 2021 a number of functionalities were added to the app. The main one being that customers can now apply for a new card, duplicate cards or update personal data by completing the online form via the app. Another new functionality is the list of the telephone numbers of the regional COOP Jednota stores. Customers who have downloaded the Shopping card onto their mobiles will automatically receive up-to-date information about their shopping and, during the discount period, the discount available to them. Users can also read the Jednota magazine online, browse through promotional leaflets and create their own shopping lists.

Jednota magazine was first unveiled to customers in 2003, continuing the tradition of the coope- rative press. The magazine was initially launched with the idea of reaching out to all COOP Jednota customers and accompanying them through the world of shopping, groceries and healthy lifesty- les. Customers can therefore pick up the magazine instore as a thank you for shopping there. This ethos continued to apply in 2021. The 32-page colour magazine is published monthly and reminds customers that COOP Jednota Slovakia is the largest Slovak grocery retailer with the largest share of Slovak products. The magazine also helps COOP Jednota maintain a close bond with its custo- mers. It provides up-to-date information about COOP Jednota, novelties, marketing and the work of the Foundation, and showcases interesting team members and staff with a long service history. The leisure section of the magazine is aimed primarily at women, who tend to be in charge of the family shopping and therefore represent an obvious target audience. Our popular sections on co- oking, food and health or interviews with interesting people are therefore an essential part of the magazine.

Slovak customers have certain ideas about what their ideal store should look like and have growing expectations. They like their shops to have a suitable range of fresh, quality produce and to look up--to-date with all the latest equipment, but above all they favour a pleasant shopping environment. Since 2013 COOP Jednota has been introducing technological innovations into selected stores that both simplify the work of staff and help protect the environment and make shopping easier. Some of the technological innovations that can be found in COOP Jednota stores are electronic price tags, LED pricing in the fruit and vegetable section, self-service checkouts, musical marketing, online shopping and mobile shopping. In 2021 LED pricing could be found in 301 COOP Jednota stores. COOP Jednota opened its 51st store in 2021, and LED pricing can be found throughout that store and is being rolled out across the retail network. With the continuation of the pandemic in 2021 se- lected stores were also equipped with health protection devices such as germicidal emitters.

IN COOP Jednota stores customers can choose from an array of additional services such as CO- OPkasa, cashback, mobile phone top-ups and loyalty programme discounts. Last year there was greater interest in card payments, which was related to the ongoing pandemic. Electronic luncheon cards became more popular, while the use of paper luncheon vouchers declined. COOPkasa, a bill--payment service for paying mobile phone or utility bills, saw a fall in customer use of 4.7%. This ex- pected decline reflects the shift among service suppliers to electronic invoicing. Most bills are now paid via internet banking. Nonetheless the decline in use was smaller than in 2020, which is mainly down to the increase in Pay by Square bills.

COOP Jednota aims to meet customer needs in a manner that has minimal environmental impact. To achieve this goal customers are provided with free instore collection points for old batteries and light bulbs. COOP Jednota stores also provide a range of alternatives to plastic bags. Customers can choose from paper bags, cloth bags or long-life bags made from eco- friendly or recycled materials (bags made from recycled PET bottles). From 2021 cotton bags are another alternative to plastic bags.

The COOP Jednota retail chain has a long-standing commitment to environmental protection and invests in new technologies and electrical equipment such as new CO2 refrigerant based refrigera- tion, which can produce electricity savings of more than 20%. The roll out of new technologies such as electronic price tags and LED pricing in COOP Jednota stores reduces paper and toner use, both of which are categorised as hazardous waste. Conventional lightbulbs are gradually being replaced with LED lighting, which is two to three times more effective and consumes less electricity.

COOP Jednota is also striving to minimise the carbon footprint and energy consumption of its stores by optimising energy management. Since 2020 it has been installing measuring systems provided by Slovanet a.s. and Orange Slovensko a.s., which measure the temperature and humidity. These enable COOP Jednota to monitor its instore energy consumption and ensure storage conditions are correct. The measuring systems can be found in 227 Tempo SM and Supermarket stores and are gradually being rolled out in other stores.

In 2021 COOP Jednota collaborated with Natur-Pack on Jednotne-ekologicky, which is an environ- mental protection project. By gradually introducing graphic symbols on private label products, COOP Jednota will teach its customers the correct way to recycle items.

In light of the new law introducing a compulsory bottle deposit system on 1 January 2022, the year 2021 was devoted to creating the required infrastructure. COOP Jednota worked hard to get its stores ready, make adjustments and select the collection system and the equipment required for the collection of cans and PET bottles.

COOP EURO, a.s. was founded in 2000 and brings together three non-competing Central European retail groups: COOP Jednota Slovakia, consumer cooperative (SK), COOP Centrum Družstvo (CZ) and COOP Hungary Zrt. (HU).

COOP EURO is important in providing a strong retail partnership, enabling the exchange of business know-how and proffering comprehensive information about the joint market and country differen- ces. It operates on three key Central European markets and has its own COOP Premium private label. COOP Premium is a premium quality private label that sits alongside the private labels of the COOP EURO members. Products bearing this label are competitively priced compared to branded rivals and are of a high quality. By the end of 2021 this category contained more than 100 products.

COOP Jednota Slovakia, consumer cooperative, had a total of 67 employees as of 31 December 2021, 60% of whom were women. As of 31 December the COOP Jednota system, including the lo- gistics centres, had 14,000 employees, 85% of whom were women. Of the total number working in the consumer cooperatives, more than 11,500 worked in the operating units as of 31 December 2021. The human resources management and development strategy is rooted in strict adherence to equal opportunities. Women represent 49% of staff working in management roles in the consumer cooperative.

Staff training and development is a key part of human resources management and development at all levels of the COOP Jednota management system. In 2021 we continued to follow our policy of fostering expertise and management skills in order to build trust and collegial communication in the workplace. Fulfilling our priorities amid the ongoing pandemic required us to make substantial changes to staff training and required a high degree of organisational flexibility. Online training and education dominated both in terms of intensity and inhouse training. We focused on individual de- velopment needs and on small group training to enable active participation. The online platforms enabled greater flexibility and variation in training and motivated staff learning.T

he EDUMIO platform was used for compulsory health and safety training as well as GDPR and per- sonal data protection training. Selected store staff received training on data backup and on internal processes at the regional level. The SEDUO platform, offering more than 250 video courses and a number of comprehensive programmes. Staff members could thereby obtain valuable information for their professional growth and on healthy living on an individual basis. More than 350 employees made active use of the SEDUO platform. We were able to study more than 4,000 courses and spent more than 3,200 hours studying.

As the COOP Leader Academy proved such a success we ran it again for managers in 2021. We con- tinued the module-based training on authentic persuasive communication, strategic decision-ma- king, the manager and the team, and stress, emotions and mindfulness. The Leader Academy also included one-to-one coaching and the management of projects to be implemented at the regional consumer cooperatives. The inhouse trainers, COOP Jednota Group employees, prioritised the ex- change of information and skills in merchandising, category management and food safety.

We continued with the COOP New Start programme, aimed at training new store staff and providing qualifications for those who are interested in a store career but do not have the required qualifi- cations. In 2021 we succeeded in training 660 new staff members under this programme. We also relaunched COOP Talents, which is aimed at existing employees with store management potential. In 2021, 22 participants successfully completed the programme. We stuck to our tried and tested model for training store managers and representatives, taking account of length of staff experience, which has proved more effective because groups can then be tailored according to individual needs and development requirements. In 2021 we invested €360,000 in staff training, which represents a year-on-year increase of almost 30%. The active use of online training has enabled us to make more effective use of the allocated funding without impacting on the quality of the training.

The Code of Conduct is a key document setting out the standards of conduct and rules of ethics for internal and external relations for staff, officials, the various bodies and the consumer cooperatives contained within the COOP Jednota Group. It stipulates the ethical values and principles that COOP Jednota Group members subscribe to and commit to upholding. To ensure the rules are upheld, each consumer cooperative has a dedicated adviser responsible for resolving ethical and conduct issues arising in relation to the Code of Conduct. By upholding the Code of Conduct, COOP Jednota strives to improve staff professionalism and thereby foster customer confidence among COOP Jed- nota shoppers.

The COOP Jednota retail chain once again retained its reputation as a favourite private label retailer. In this large annual consumer survey COOP Jednota numbered among the winners of the Cheese category and came top in the Hair Cosmetics category – our first ever prize in a non-grocery cate- gory. COOP Jednota sells more than 700 private label products and 85% of them come from Slovak suppliers.

Consumer’s Choice – Best Novelty 2021 – COOP Jednota winning products;

Cheese: COOP MAMIČKINE DOBROTY CHEESE STRINGS; Hair Cosmetics: COOP BIOVA NETTLE SHAMPOO

COOP Jednota’s environmental activities have caught the eye of international experts as well. At the prestigious global private label competition, Salute to Excellence Award, in Amsterdam COOP bamboo ear buds came first in the Personal Care category. This was the fourth time that the largest Slovak retail chain was among the winners, demonstrating that the quality of its private label pro- ducts extends beyond the Slovak border. The winning bamboo ear buds are part of COOP Jednota’s new cosmetic range sold under the Biova private label.

COOP Jednota came first for the ninth time in the independently judged Superbrand award. This title is awarded by an expert panel to labels that reflect a strong brand, the capacity to fulfil pro- mises, innovate and continually push ahead. Slovak Superbrands has been held in Slovakia for ten years now.

Based on a global survey completed by Slovak university students, Junior Chamber International Slovakia awarded COOP Jednota Slovakia the prize for TOP young company in 2021 in the Retail Chain category.

The COOP Jednota Foundation was set up in 2001 to provide assistance in the charitable sphere through the Foundation programmes. The work of the Foundation therefore draws on the ideas of the founders of the original cooperative associations, which were set up primarily to provide mutual assistance and support local development.

In supporting the healthcare sector, the COOP Jednota Foundation strives to improve the quality of medical care for a wide range of patients by purchasing medical equipment for hospitals and he- althcare facilities in all Slovakia’s regions. In 2021 the Foundation contributed more than €71,000 to improve patient care in nine Slovak hospitals.

The Social Assistance Programme was the first programme to be set up after the Foundation was established and is still operating today. The main beneficiaries are children and young people with congenital diseases and, to a lesser extent, non-profit organisations whose aim is to improve the quality of life of sick children. The bulk of the donations are spent on rehabilitation and medical equipment for terminally ill children. Under this programme the Foundation distributed more than€23,000 to applicants in 2021.

The aim of the local community support programme is to involve the public in resolving local issues and improving the local area. All consumer cooperatives in the COOP Jednota Group actively par- ticipate in the programme, helping the Foundation to improve the quality of life in rural and town communities and foster a sense of belonging among community members.

Each year the programme is more successful and the numbers applying for small community pro- ject grants rises. In 2021 the programme entered into its fifth year and 792 organisations 1,380 sub- mitted applications, representing an increase of 74% on the previous year. The increase in interest was stimulated through a targeted campaign and the launch of online applications.

In the fifth year of the programme the Foundation contributed a total of €178,000 to 26 community projects.

Over the last 20 years the COOP Jednota Foundation has bought or helped buy 227 medical devices, investing almost €1.5 million. It has distributed more than €317,000 in social assistance and provi- ded €120,000 in financial assistance in the aftermath of floods and natural disasters.

The Jednota Program for School Kids is now in its 14th year and in this time the Foundation has helped improve sports opportunities for pupils at primary and 8-year secondary school by contribu- ting almost €2.1 million. In the 12 years of the Don’t Leave them Hanging Around programme, which is aimed at helping children and young people make good use of their free time, the Foundation distributed grants totalling almost €479,000.

The Local Community Support Programme has been running for five years and in that time the Fo- undation has spent almost €756,000 supporting 129 projects aimed at the preservation of cultural values, sport and education, environmental protection and awareness, building community facilities and other local initiatives.

In the two decades of its existence the COOP Jednota Foundation has spent more than €5.2 million on better equipment for hospitals, clinics, preschools and primary schools, local sports clubs, lei- sure centres, as well as on flood and natural disaster relief, educational support, Slovak villages and social assistance for individuals.

The COOP Jednota Group strives to be an appealing modern retailer with good quality goods and services, especially home-grown and local food. Our aim is to grow or maintain the Group’s market share. We also want to be a unique place that is involved in enhancing the quality of life of our custo- mers and part of their homeland. The Group seeks to inspire its customers to lead healthy lives, protect the country and take responsibility for it. COOP Jednota strives to be a responsible business whose actions benefit the community.

1, A satisfied customer is the greatest shared value of the COOP Jednota Group. It is the customers who decide the future of the COOP Jednota Group and the sustainable develop- ment of the Group as a whole.

2, Our stores are the most important places of the COOP Jednota Group. It is absolutely es- sential that we maintain a smooth supply chain, optimise the range specific to the retail chain and continue to modernise and expand our retail network, while taking into account the environment and sustainability.

3, Creative, satisfied, responsible and reliable employees are key to fulfilling the goals and mission of the COOP Jednota Group and guarantee the integrity of the system.

4, The consumer cooperatives provide a helping hand to their members, who are a valuable part of the COOP Jednota group and underpin company improvement.

COOP Jednota Slovakia, consumer cooperative, exists in order to support and serve its members, the franchises, and to act as the purchasing, service and marketing centre for the COOP Jedno- ta Group and to represent and protect the cooperatives’ interests vis-à-vis state bodies, interest groups and commercial partners.

In January 2022 COOP Jednota Slovakia began operating under a new organisational structure.

To strengthen the position of the COOP Jednota system as the largest grocery retail chain and leader in promoting the sale of Slovak groceries.

To grow the retail turnover of the consumer cooperatives and the overall performance of the COOP Jednota Group.

To strengthen our competitive advantage through proximity to our customers and the unique- ness of the COOP Jednota system in the Slovak retail market.

To modernise the COOP Jednota retail chain by opening new stores, renovating existing ones and applying new technologies and an environmentally friendly approach.

To identify areas of potential synergy with the aim of improving the management and develop- ment of the COOP Jednota Group.

To support the financial stability and sustainability of the individual entities within the COOP Jednota Group.

To optimise the instore product range according to store format, including the private label range.To ensure the logistics centres have sufficient supplies of core commodities.

To develop COOP Jednota‘s brand promotion and enhance the image attributes of the private labels, while taking account of the environment.

To improve and expand additional customer services at POS terminals in COOP Jednota stores.

To grow the sale of fruit and vegetables throughout the COOP Jednota system and increase its contribution to total retail turnover.

To improve and expand additional customer services in the COOP Jednota system.To continue with the COOP Jednota Group‘s work on environmental policy.

To manage the joint purchase of energy for the COOP Group and promote the use of alternative energy sources.

To expand the digitalisation of processes using online technologies and to boost digital market- ing tools.

To harmonise the use of technologies and software within the COOP Jednota Group to make more effective use of the available data.

To push for proportionate laws and regulations applicable to the business activities of the COOP Jednota Group, with the aim of ensuring that they do not increase the regulation, cost and ad- ministrative burden of doing business.

To provide support when setting and implementing human resource management and develop- ment processes to improve employee performance and engagement.

To create new training programmes to connect business needs, technologies and professionalism.

To promote the transfer of the latest trends and knowledge, including from abroad, into practice.