© Copyright 2023 COOP Jednota Slovakia, All rights reserved.
COMPANY PROFILE
BASIC INFORMATION
º 29 November 1968 – founding of the Slovak Union of Consumer Cooperatives
º 29 January 2002 – merger between Slovak Union of Consumer Cooperatives, cooperative, and COOP CENTRUM, a.s.
º 7 March 2002 – company name changed to COOP Jednota Slovakia, consumer cooperative
MISSION
To provide support and services to our members and franchises, and act as a purchasing, services and
marketing centre for the COOP Jednota Group, representing the interests of cooperatives in relations
with state bodies, interest groups and commercial partners.
It is our task to achieve sustainable retail grocery sales and associated services for customers and
cooperative members. We are thereby continuing the 150 year old tradition and mission of the food and
credit mutuals set up from 1845 onwards.
VISION
COOP Jednota Slovakia strives to fulfil its mission and ensure that the COOP Jednota Group:
As a cooperative member, COOP Jednota Slovakia strives to create tools and find solutions so COOP Jednota members can grow and/or maintain their market share.
STRATEGIC AIMS
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF COOPERATION
PERFORMANCE AND MARKET POSITION OF THE COOP JEDNOTA GROUP
In 2022 the regional COOP Jednotas operating in retail achieved a total retail turnover of €1.771 billion, which represents an increase of 9.3% on 2021.
Total COOP Jednota revenue was €1.534 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.8 %.
The COOP Jednota logistics centres generated a total revenue of €0.719 billion, which was 10.6 % more than in 2021.
In 2022 the COOP Jednota Group achieved aggregate sales of €2.253 billion, up 10 % compared to 2021.
The COOP Jednotas opened 14 new stores and renovated 56 stores for their customers in 2022. Despite the continuing fierce battle for customers and intense expansion by competing retailers, COOP Jednota succeeded in maintaining its grocery sales lead among retail chains. It is the largest and strongest performing retail chain in terms of turnover and has the greatest share of Slovak products, accounting for 70% of store items on average.
In 2022 the situation on the retail market was both volatile and challenging. At the beginning of the year the effects of the COVID-19 restrictions were still being felt and then at the end of February the war in Ukraine started to negatively impact both the European and global economy. All sectors of the Slovak economy were negatively affected by the price hikes, especially in energy and fuel, as well as the sanctions against Russia.
The high inflation, the energy crisis, food shortages and the cost of the deposit scheme roll-out all led to monthly declines in consumer purchasing power, while the unusually warm weather affected COOP Jednota Group sales and overheads.
On average, consumer prices rose 12.8 % in 2022 on the previous year, and even hit 15 % at the end of the year.
While in 2021 inflation was 3.2 % and had not gone above 5 % since 2005, in 2022 it smashed the 2000 record.
The only year in which inflation rose higher than in 2022 was 1993 – and that was the year Czechoslovakia broke up. The average year-on-year increase in food prices was more than 19 % and the greatest increases were seen in the price of meat, milk, cheese and eggs, as well as cereals and fruit and vegetables.
It is hard to predict how the market will evolve, mainly because of the uncertainty over the war in Ukraine. But inflation is likely to be lower this year than originally expected as a result of the measures adopted by the Slovak government to tackle the energy crisis. With the household energy price-cap and compensation for businesses, average annual inflation should not exceed 10%. It may even fall to around 5 % year-on-year in the second half of the year, which would help kickstart the economy and boost consumer purchasing power.
RETAIL CHAINS
One of the COOP Jednota Group’s priorities is to ensure we are close to our customers and in places where other retail chains on the Slovak market show no interest in opening stores. COOP Jednota is the largest and most numerous retail chain in Slovakia, with a total of 1,994 stores in the Tempo Supermarket, Supermarket and Potraviny formats.
The Potraviny chain, the most extensive chain in Slovakia, offers a product range and store size designed to meet the needs of customers in rural areas and small towns. In 2022 there were 1,361 Potraviny stores under the COOP Jednota flag.
The Supermarket chain is aimed at shoppers who prioritise convenience. It has 612 stores located across the country with a floor space of 200 m² to 1,000 m². Customer preferences are continually monitored and so these stores have a wide range of favourably priced items to attract both ordinary and more discerning customers. The number of stores in this category increases each year.
COOP Jednota Tempo Supermarket was launched with the aim of creating a supermarket chain with a wide range of good quality fresh products capable of satisfying the most demanding shoppers. Tempo Supermarket stores have a floor space of over 1,000 m² and in 2022 COOP Jednota had 21 stores in this format. The aim of the Tempo Supermarket chain is to give the customer a little extra every day, be it a good quality product or service, instantly responding to demand, providing a wide range of fresh products or COOP Jednota private label items, including premium foods, novelties or household products.
COOP Jednota stores are supplied via nine logistics centres.
MARKETING
IMAGE CAMPAIGNS
COOP Jednota promotion is primarily focused around Slovak products, private labels and the environment.
That remained the case in 2022 and these issues continued to resonate and formed the backbone of our promotional activities. The running theme of the image promotions and campaigns is conveyed by the distinctive humour of our two main heroes, Bača and Honelník, the Shepherd and the Shepherd Boy, two of the most popular advertising faces in Slovakia. COOP Jednota played a key role in the new drink container deposit scheme, while also rolling out technological innovations and unveiling a new private label packaging design. All this was done with the aim of creating positive associations and promoting the key attributes – freshness, favourable prices and Slovak products – of the COOP Jednota brand as the largest Slovak grocery retailer, which we have built up over the years.
DOBRÁ CENA
From 18 April to 18 May 2022 we ran a campaign to launch our new packaging design and raise awareness of our private label products. The key messages were ‘Have you tried our competitively priced products in their new design?” The campaign promotion was spearheaded by 30” TV spot adverts and backed by the usual advertising tools. The Dobrá cena campaign increased COOP Jednota visibility to the extent that in the second week of May it overtook competitors. Dobrá cena took off partly of its own accord and partly with promotional support. This campaign was the second most well-know and most talked about campaign.
COOP JEDNOTA ZELOVOC
In the summer months we drew on the successful launch in 2021 of our new fruit & veg label COOP Jednota Zelovoc and began a new campaign centred on freshness. The aim was to continue promoting the label while also creating a new advertising concept associating good quality local fruit and vegetables with COOP Jednota. The main message of the campaign was “We’ll do everything to make sure you get fresh fruit and veg every day”. It was the second most talked about campaign and the message quickly caught on.
AUTUMN CAMPAIGN – PRIVATE LABEL DAYS
Autumn saw the launch of our private label promotion, consisting of three parts highlighting the advantages of various private labels. Each had a separate TV spot and ended with a special offer on a particular product. The aim of the campaign was to promote a private label limited edition and draw people into COOP Jednota stores, but was also about building the private label image and highlighting certain image characteristics. The private labels we promoted were Dobrá cena, Špeciálna edícia and Mamičkine dobroty. The Special Edition promotion targeted selected products available in a special limited edition design. All the products were Slovak.
SALES PROMOTIONS
To attract potential customers into COOP Jednota stores we run special sales promotions on quality branded items with consumer appeal. The aim is to reward customer loyalty by offering heavy discounted items or a free gift. To get the discount or free gift, shoppers have to purchase items totalling somewhere between €10 and €25. Shoppers are given a money-off coupon or gift when purchasing items. COOP Jednota ran several of these campaigns in 2022.
CONSUMER COMPETITIONS
In keeping with COOP Jednota tradition, our competition seasons were New Year, Easter, Summer and Christmas. Customers could enter four consumer competitions and win attractive prizes. Shoppers have a greater chance of winning with our Shop & Play and combination of instant wins and prize draws. And that is why COOP Jednota competitions are so popular with customers. A new technological innovation means customers now automatically receive information about our competitions and how to enter them.
Shoppers can either hand in a winning coupon when instore and immediately receive their prize or fill in a coupon instore and place it in a competition box. This innovation was launched with our competition where customers had to purchase COOP Jednota private label items. It was run at New Year and the aim was to promote private label awareness and encourage shoppers to buy private label products.
ONLINE MARKETING
COOP Jednota’s online marketing continues seamlessly from our offline marketing and one of the most popular advertising concepts, Bača and Honelník. The online marketing is based around key elements, like promoting our main image characteristics, identifying with the COOP Jednota brand and customer relations. In 2022 posts were shared with 168,305 fans on our Facebook page, COOP Jednota – the best Slovak supermarket. All growth was organic and was not driven by ‘pagelike’ campaigns. We posted 412 posts on our COOP Jednota Facebook page and our COOP Jednota Instagram content was followed by 16,450 followers. LinkedIn was mainly used to share information about COOP Jednota’s corporate social responsibility work. In 2022 the social media posts were complemented by our regular newsletter containing information about our campaigns, offers in advertising leaflets, the content in our Jednota magazine and the recipes displayed on our online portal: (Non)traditional recipes from COOP Jednota.
(NON)TRADITIONAL RECIPES FROM COOP JEDNOTA
Once again in 2022 our online recipe platform www.netradicnerecepty.sk was full of good recipes and domestic and culinary tips and tricks. Our favourite chefs, Dušan Platko and the famous actress Dominika Morávková, showed off their recipes in the ever more popular online cookery show Duel. The greatest fans of our culinary duo are none other than the popular duo from the COOP Jednota adverts – Bača and Honelník. Their amusing comments continued to spice up the Duel videos in 2022 and they were always first to taste the recipes.
COOP JEDNOTA PRIVATE LABEL
In 2022 COOP Jednota continued to develop its private label product portfolio, which has been available to shoppers for 23 years now. Over that time, not only has the product range evolved but we have also got better at offering customers reasonably priced products supplied by Slovak suppliers as an alternative to brands. These have been popular with customers for decades, but are even more sought-after in the current period of rising inflation, the difficulty of obtaining staple ingredients and the war in Ukraine and associated energy crisis, which have all had a major impact across society and on consumer behaviour.
At the end of 2022 our private label portfolio contained 748 items, with 85% being sourced from Slovak suppliers. Despite our wide product range, we are continually working to include new products across our product lines, categories and nested products that are representative of COOP Jednota.
COOP Jednota also continued with the roll-out of our environmental Jednotne ekologicky programme and the appropriately coloured recycling bin symbol on new private label products to help customers separate waste packaging correctly.
LOYALTY PROGRAMME
The COOP Jednota Shopping Card is both part of our loyalty programme and a marketing tool. In 2022 we introduced changes to the loyalty programme and gradually digitalised services. Customer interest in the COOP Jednota Shopping Card grows every year. As of 31 December 2022, COOP Jednota has 1,306,752 loyalty card holders. Loyalty card purchases accounts for 54.20% of retail turnover, or €9,718,145. For some years now COOP Jednota customer satisfaction has been evident in the take-up of loyalty card discounts. The main motivation for having a loyalty card is obtaining discounts off future shops, which are paid out twice a year, usually around Christmas and Easter. In cooperation with our commercial partners, loyalty card holders shopping in COOP Jednota stores could benefit from 15 different special offers in 2022 in the form of discounts on selected items. We also continued to cooperate with our external partners. In 2022 we had 10 external partners offering financial rewards to loyalty card holders.
THE COOP JEDNOTA MOBILE APP
The COOP Jednota App was modified and redesigned in 2022. In September 2022, following the redesign and functional improvements, we recorded a sharp increase in user numbers. In Q4 2022 there was a 12% increase in Android users and a 46% increase in iOS users. The mobile app launched in 2022 now has expandable banners on the home screen, the option of displaying regional COOP Jednota leaflets in the leaflet section, while the external partner section for loyalty card holders has been expanded, and there are more notification functions and the shopping list has been revamped. The most popular sections of the mobile app, where users spend most time, are MyCard, the leaflets and Jednota magazine.
JEDNOTA MAGAZINE
In the 19 years it has been published, Jednota magazine has evolved from a general magazine to a customerfocused one. The aim of the magazine is to reinforce the customer relationship with Slovakia’s strongest domestic retail chain and to inform shoppers about COOP Jednota developments in a chatty relaxing format.
That goal remained unchanged in 2022. Magazine topics include food and healthy lifestyles in line with COOP Jednota’s mission as a grocery retailer. Another key permanent feature is the focus on Slovakness, which is the core premise of COOP Jednota. The magazine content is determined by the seasons and annual events, planned marketing activities, daily life in the consumer cooperative and Slovak customs and traditions.
Throughout the year the monthly 32-colour page magazine promoted COOP Jednota’s status as the largest Slovak grocery retailer with the largest share of Slovak products and kept readers up-to-date with the latest COOP Jednota events, news, achievements, marketing campaigns and social responsibility activities.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN COOP JEDNOTA STORES
In COOP Jednota stores we strive to keep up with the latest technologies that not only make shopping a more pleasant experience but also lighten the load for store staff. Shoppers have high expectations of Slovak retailers and it is our desire to fulfil these. Store customers want aesthetically pleasing stores stocked with a wide range of goods, but they also welcome the things that make shopping easier. At COOP Jednota we have been introducing new technologies and innovations into selected stores since 2013 that simplify the work of shop staff but also help protect the environment and make shopping easier.
Technological innovations that can be found in the COOP Jednota chain include automated monitoring systems, electronic price tags, LED price tags on fruit and vegetables, self-service check-outs, musical marketing and online shopping.
ELECTRIC CHARGING STATIONS
In 2022 COOP Jednota was supplied with 12 electric car charging stations as part of our attempts to ensure that customers with electric cars can charge their car when shopping at our stores. We plan to expand the network so customers in areas with no charging stations can also access this service.
ONLINE SHOPPING
Online click and collect shopping has been available at COOP Jednota since 2018 at the COOP Jednotas in Liptovský Mikuláš and Žilina. Customers can select their shopping from the comfort of their own home via our website. It is then packed instore and customers simply have to collect it. By using this service customers can save time that would have otherwise been spent instore and at the checkout.
Our customers can collect their shopping at 34 COOP Jednota Žilina stores and at two COOP Jednota Liptovský Mikuláš stores. The Liptovský Mikuláš cooperative also provides an online delivery service to the customer’s home. Customers who collect their shopping instore have the opportunity to inspect their shopping before paying as payment is made on receipt of the items.
SOLAR PANELS
Solar panels provide a green energy source and COOP Jednota retail chain is keen to make use of this wherever possible. For more than two years now we have been making a systemic effort to install photovoltaic panels on our stores, mainly to cover our own energy needs. Given that most of our stores are in built-up areas, the cost of investing in sustainable energy is high. Nonetheless around 5% of our energy is sustainable. So far solar panels have been installed in 90 stores in 10 COOP Jednota consumer cooperatives.
CUSTOMER SERVICES
Store customers are offered a wide range of additional services such as COOPkasa, cashback, mobile phone top-ups and access to loyalty programme discounts. Last year interest in the use of electronic luncheon cards continued to grow, while paper luncheon voucher use fell. Customers can use COOPkasa to pay various types of bills at the checkout instead of having to travel or wait until the next working day.
The number of customers using this service to pay mobile phone or electricity bills has fallen slightly since last year. With businesses shifting to electronic bills, which are usually paid through internet banking, that is to be expected. Nonetheless many COOP Jednota customers continue to rely on COOPkasa and in 2022 there were 750,000 of these transactions.
ENVIROMENTAL POLICY
COOP Jednota aims to meet customer needs while minimising the environmental impact. To achieve this, our stores are equipped with recycling bins for used light bulbs and batteries that customers can use free of charge. In 2022 COOP Jednota stores collected 29,280.88 kg of used batteries, an increase of 38% on 2021, and 19,410 lightbulbs or 1,446.68 kg, which was 4.4% more than the previous year. COOP Jednota customers can choose from a range of eco alternatives to plastic bags – paper bags, cotton bags, material bags and long-life bags made from eco or recycled materials (bags made from recycled plastic bottles).
The COOP Jednota chain continually strives to protect the environment, investing time and money in new technologies and environmentally friendly electrical equipment. Our retail stores are installed with new CO2 refrigeration equipment and we are investing in closed refrigeration units with potential emerging savings of over 20%. We are also continuing with the roll-out of energy saving technologies such as electronic pricing and LED price tags in COOP Jednota stores and reducing paper and toner use, which are classified as dangerous waste. We are replacing old store lights with new LED ones, which are two to three times more effective than ordinary lights in terms of energy saving. COOP Jednota is also attempting to reduce its instore carbon footprint and energy consumption while optimising energy management. Since 2020 our stores have been installed with heat and humidity monitoring systems supplied by Slovanet, a.s. and Orange Slovensko, a.s. That means we can now monitor energy consumption and storage and quickly identify problems. These systems can also detect refrigeration or freezer equipment malfunction and help optimise and reduce energy consumption. So far the monitoring equipment has been installed in 355 stores, mostly Tempo Supermarket or Supermarket stores and the roll-out is still ongoing.
In cooperation with Natur-Pack, COOP Jednota is continuing to implement its Jednotne Ekologicky environmental project. In an effort to help customers separate and recycle waste, our private label product packaging now displays a recycling symbol.
On 1 January 2022 Slovakia introduced a new drink container deposit scheme. COOP Jednota installed 1,426 collection points, 1,101 more than the legally required minimum. Throughout the year more and more stores joined the scheme so customers can now return drink containers at their convenience and near their home. Thanks to our extensive network of collection points we were able to provide collection facilities for customers in municipalities that would not otherwise have this opportunity. In 2022 we collected more than 140 million drink containers under the deposit scheme. Over 1,000 of our bottle and can collection points are automated, which reduces pressure on staff and the compression system means less space is required than with ordinary collection points. In 2022 our focus was on installing the collection point technologies as well as streamlining the processes – the logistics, storing returned drink containers and the operating costs of the deposit scheme. COOP Jednota has also been working closely with the Deposit Scheme Agency. In 2022 COOP Jednota invested more than €16 million in rolling out the deposit scheme. Our main goal was to build a system for the future. We are planning to expand the number of collection points in 2023. All our collection points are displayed on a map at www.jednoteekologicky.sk that customers can use to find their nearest one.
COOP EURO – INTERNATIONAL PURCHASING ALLIANCE
The COOP EURO international purchasing alliance was founded in 2000 by three non-competing Central European retail organisations:
COOP EURO is a forward-looking European company that offers national COOP central offices the unique opportunity of sharing integrated retail and additional activities. The advantages of this are a strong business partnership, the exchange of business know-how and in-depth knowledge of the common market and regional differences. COOP EURO operates on three key Central European markets under the COOP Premium private label. It guarantees premium quality products and complements the private labels of the alliance members. The aim is to continue creating and expanding the COOP Premium private label and to offer consumers and shareholders a strong retail label. This product line satisfies the needs of the most discerning customers. It offers competitively priced quality compared to premium brands. At the end of 2022 there were 106 products in this category in all three countries – Slovakia, Czechia and Hungary.
COOP JEDNOTA EMPLOYEES
As of 31 December 2022, COOP Jednota Slovakia, consumer cooperative, has 70 employees, 60% of whom are women. The number of employees employed across COOP Jednota, including the logistics centres, is over 14,000, with women accounting for 85%. Of that figure, 11,500 employees work instore.
Our Human Resources Management and Development Strategy is rooted in strict adherence to equal opportunities. Almost 50% of consumer cooperative management positions are held by women.
STAFF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN 2022
Staff training and development is a crucial part of our human resources management and development strategy at all levels of COOP Jednota Group management.
In 2022 we concentrated on the following in training and development:
managerial skills and competencies, focusing on strengthening leadership, promoting managerial integrity and professionalism specialist skills, focusing on developing and building on existing specialist skills and knowledge, along with the acquisition of new skills aimed at effectivising and improving processes and the responsible fulfilment of legal and internal standards When designing and implementing staff training within the COOP Jednota Group the emphasis is on voluntary participation within the rules and respecting both the employer’s and employee’s interests; flexibility in the type of training, including prioritising active use of the EDUMIO education platform in inhouse training; keeping abreast of employer and employee needs; and a comprehensive approach to tailored training programmes, as part of the ‘academy’.
We paid particular attention to individual developmental needs and to small-group training to ensure maximum active participation. The EDUMIO platform was used to provide compulsory health and safety training, as well as training on personal data protection training and GDPR. Selected store colleagues were trained on internal processes at the regional level. Employees at 12 consumer cooperatives took advantage of this opportunity. The digital platform ensures greater flexibility and variety in training and motivates staff members to work on their own self-development.
In 2022 we completed the second year of the COOP Leader Academy, a modular course on authentic persuasive communication, strategic decision-making, the manager and team, and stress, emotions and mindfulness combined with individual coaching. At the end participants worked on projects that can be implemented in the regional consumer cooperatives. We implemented the COOP Digital Academy for staff working in marketing, who had an opportunity to improve their skills in web analytics, SEO, social media, email marketing and selected legal issues in digital marketing.
In 2022 we launched our COOP Academy for Inspectors, which is aimed at novice inspector–regional manager roles. The modular managerial training is combined with individual and group coaching sessions.
We continued implementing our COOP New Starts programme, which is aimed at new store colleagues.
The programme is designed for employees interested in store positions who do not have the right qualifications and provides them with training and qualifications. We also ran the first stage of the next series of the COOP Talent programme, aimed at internal employees with store management potential.
In training and development for store managers and deputy managers we stuck to our tried and tested model of focusing on level of experience, as we have found that it is more effective to focus on individual needs and development requirements in specially selected groups.
Besides the quality of the training content, we ensure participants have opportunities to share successful solutions – best practices – and mutually inspiring work experiences. In 2022 we invested €350,000 in training. Flexible use of online training and face-to-face training meant we were able to use our allocated funding more effectively and focus on the quality of the training.
COOP JEDNOTA GROUP CODE OF CONDUCT
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 confidence among COOP Jednota customers.
AWARDS IN 2022
CONSUMERS’ CHOICE – BEST NOVELTY 2022
COOP Jednota retail chain once again showed that its private labels are a hit with customers and of increasing relevance. In the big annual consumer survey Consumer’s Choice–Best Novelty 2022 we were top in the Cheeses category and our Perun private label was a winner in the Washing Products category.
CONSUMER’S CHOICE–BEST NOVELTY 2022 – COOP JEDNOTA WINNING PRODUCTS
Cheeses: COOP MAMIČKINE DOBROTY CHEESE BALLS
Washing Products: PERUN COOP WASHING LIQUID
SUPERBRANDS 2022
In an independent survey of the most successful brands on the Slovak market, COOP Jednota defended its leading position and won a Superbrand award for the tenth time. The prize is awarded by an expert panel to the brand that depicts strength and uniqueness, the ability to innovate, grow and inspire others.
One of the aims behind Superbrands is to focus consumer and expert attention on exceptionally strong brands in the Slovak market. The Superbrands award is a mark of special status and recognition of the status of an exceptional brand in the local market. The Superbrands stamp of approval is only awarded to brands with an outstanding reputation. Customers associate these brands with key values and develop a personal relationship with them.
HERMES COMMUNICATOR OF 2021
In the 8th annual Hermes Communicator of the Year 2021 our Jednotne Ekologicky project won an award in the social responsibility category. The decision is made by an expert panel picked by the organisers for each category. Based on the results of a representative quantitative survey by MEDIAN SK survey agency over eleven months in 2021, we came third in the Retail Chain category.
J. A. SEGNER METROLOGY AWARD
In 2022 COOP Jednota received the prestigious J. A. Segner award from the Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing for 2021 for the unique smart technology used in its instore intelligent monitoring system. The system automatically sends alerts when errors are recorded and can detect malfunctioning refrigeration or freezer equipment. It can be used to monitor temperature and humidity as well as electricity consumption, which can then be optimised instore.
TOP YOUNG COMPANY
In the 2022 TOP young company survey regularly organised by Junior Chamber International, Slovakia, COOP Jednota Slovensko, s.d., outperformed the other retail chains. We came first in the retail chain– groceries category.
BEST EMPLOYER SURVEY
In the Best Employer Survey of 2022, organised by Profesia, COOP Jednota Slovensko, s.d., was one of the Top 5 best employers in Slovakia in the retail and services category.
COMPANY PHILANTHROPY
COOP JEDNOTA FOUNDATION
The COOP Jednota Foundation has been performing its charitable work and providing help across Slovakia for 21 years now, through company and personal tax donations and gifts from supporters. It supports various projects, mainly relating to local and regional activities, and provides assistance in healthcare, education, sport and schools. It also plays a key role in art and culture and last but not least provides financial assistance for seriously ill people, mainly children with untreatable conditions. Since it was founded in 2001 it has provided support of more than €5.5 million through its projects and programmes.
HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
Since it was founded the COOP Jednota Foundation has provided healthcare and social assistance, helping upgrade hospital equipment, improve care for patients and disabled people and each year it gives a helping hand to children and adults in need. In 2022 the foundation purchased equipment worth €74,000 for nine hospitals and healthcare facilities in Brezno, Liptovský Mikuláš, Martin, Nitra, Prešov, Prievidza, Trnava, Trstená and Vranov nad Topľou. The foundation’s social support is targeted at severely disabled children and their families, helping to improve quality of life by funding rehabilitation, the purchase of rehabilitation aids and treatment for seriously ill people. In 2022 it provided assistance worth €30,000 to this group of people.
SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES
The local community support programme is aimed at improving the quality of life and satisfaction of inhabitants in rural areas and towns by encouraging them to participate in local and regional development through various initiatives and useful and interesting projects. In the twenty-one years of the COOP Jednota Foundation, this programme has targeted the youngest generations and continues to attract ever more interest each year. In 2022, its 6th year, 1,162 grant applications were received from all over Slovakia. COOP Jednota store customers voted to allocate the €156,000 raised to 26 projects in 26 villages and towns. The money for the winning projects could not exist without the continued support of our long-term programme partners – RAJO, a.s., UNILEVER Slovakia, s.r.o., Budiš, a.s. and COOP Jednota Slovakia, consumer cooperative. In total the Foundation grants allocated in the 6th Year of the Local Community Support Programme amounted to almost €912,000.
GOALS FOR 2023