Migros (company)
| File:Logo Migrosturk.gif | |
| Industry | Retail Supermarket |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 |
| Headquarters | Turkey |
Key people | Bülend Özaydınlı |
Ramstore/Migros Türk Ticaret A.Ş. is one of the biggest chain of supermarkets in Turkey. Owned by the Koç Group, top executives are chairman Rahmi Koç, and general manager Aziz Bulgu.
Together via Migros supermarkets, Şok discount stores, international Ramstore shopping centers, online shopping, wholesale stores, and mobile sales units, Migros Türk serves an estimated 160 million customers. As of 2005, with 191 Migros stores (803.000 m2 enclosed area) and 305 Şok stores in Turkey, and 54 Ramstores in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Macedonia and Russia- stores total 549, globally. Migros stores are situated in 41 cities in Turkey; Şok, in 22. The company employs 4,000 personnel and sells around 75,000 products.
News reports in February 2008 indicate that BC Partners has agreed to buy Migros Turk in Turkey's biggest-ever leveraged buyout. [citation needed] The London-based firm will trade Koc Holding 1.98 billion TL for a 51 percent stake in Migros Turk.
The Migros Logo
The logo of Migros Türk is similar to that of the Swiss Migros. As in Switzerland, the supermarkets are categorized in three size classes of M, MM and MMM:
- M Migros-supermarkets are selling basic consumables and a limited number of non-food products
- MM Migros-stores offer a wider range of non-food articles besides the basic consumables
- MMM Migros-stores have a larger product spectrum ranging from stationery to textile products, electric household appliances to bakeries, books and cosmetics
Migros vends some products under its own label.
History
The municipality of Istanbul founded Migros Türk in 1954 as a joint venture with Swiss Migros Cooperatives Union. Initially, Migros Türk operated via 45 sales trucks (the same as its Swiss counterpart) only later to open stores fronts- the first in 1957 Beyoğlu, Istanbul.
In 1975, the majority of shares in the company were transferred to the Koç Group. There after, Migros rapidly increased the number of stores in Istanbul, establishing the necessary infrastructure for purchasing fruits and vegetables directly from producers and farmers.
In 1981, a central perishables warehouse was opened- which is still in use, with some alterations and improvements.
In 1988, following development in Istanbul, 4 large stores were opened in İzmir, and infrastructure investment were started in the Aegean region.
In addition to neighborhood stores in Istanbul and İzmir, larger stores were opened in new residential and suburban areas- an MM market in İzmir, followed by two MMM stores in Istanbul, in 1991.
Since late 1990, almost all of the older stores have been renovated, equipped with fully automation systems- introducing computerized and automatic cash registers.
In 1991, Migros became a publicly traded company.
Around this time, Migros extended its chain of supermarkets to other large cities, such as Antalya, Ankara and Bursa, and the resorts destinations of Marmaris, Bodrum, Silivri and Yalova.
In 1992, payment with credit card and customer satisfaction questionnaires were introduced.
On its 40th anniversary, the company expanded in Ankara with two more stores and in Adana and Mersin. In 1994, Migros was named "the most successful company in Turkey" and was also shown as one of the most successful companies in Europe by the Euromoney magazine. [citation needed] 1995 brought a rapid growth to Migros with the opening of stores in 17 provinces, including Southeastern Anatolia and Adana, Gaziantep, Edirne, Tekirdağ and Eskişehir.
In 1995, Migros introduced a low-cost brand outlet named Şok. Started in Istanbul, the discount markets expanded to Ankara and İzmir. Şoks offer both food and non food items.
Rapid growth
In 1996, Migros Türk introduced nearly a new store every week, establishing 51 new stores. A supermarket was opened in Erzurum, and by the end of the year, 75 million people were being served by 124 stores in 20 cities and 6 regions of Turkey.
In 1997, it increased the number of stores in Turkey to 169, servicing 125 million customers. As in previous years, it opened 50 new stores and shopping centers in 1998 and expanded its service to 27 cities in total. Throughout 1999, its growth rate reached 2 stores per week on average, adding 108 new stores and 2 shopping centers.
In 1996, Migros Türk opened its first store outside of Turkey- a Ramstore in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the next year with a shopping center in Moscow, Russia. With the success of the first Ramstore in Baku, 4 new stores were opened in Azerbaijan.
Migros opened second, larger, Ramstore shopping center in Moscow's Maryina Roscha district. In 1998, a new Ramstore shopping center's foundation was laid in Kazakhstan.
Currently, there are 3 Ramstores in Baku, 8 Ramstore shopping centers in Moscow, 41 Ramstores in other cities of Russia, 1 Ramstore shopping center in Kazakhstan, 1 Ramstore in Astana, 4 in Almaty , 4 Ramstores in Sofia, Bulgaria, 1 Ramstore shopping center and hypermarket in Skopje, Macedonia, totaling 54 Ramstores internationally.
"Self-service checkouts" were introduced to Turkish consumers in the giant store in Ankara for the first time in Turkey and in Europe.[citation needed]
By the end of 1999, the number of Migros Club Card has reached to 2.5 million.
Also in 1999, Migros Türk launched it's online presence, Kangurum- hosting more than 25,000 products from 60 different stores- ranging from refrigerators, wedding rings, toys, bouquet arrangements, and tomatoes to vacation reservations.
Migros presented the Bakkalım (literally: My Grocery) store format in the first quarter of 2000, spreading in Istanbul, İzmir and Ankara, they number 700, today.
Throughout 2001, Migros Online, added Antalya and Adana to its service area. In 2001, Kangurum introduced wholesale market service, with B2B providing corporate transactions.
Within the course of 2001, Migros Turk has introduced 3 Migros stores in MMM format, 5 Migros stores in MM format and 3 Migros stores in M format, as well as 19 Şok discount stores, 1 Ramstore Shopping Center and 2 Ramstores in Moscow, 1 Ramstores in Sofia, and 1 Migros Shopping Center in Antalya. By the end of 2001, Migros was operating 461 stores serving 160 million customers annually.
Throughout 2002, Migros has made a grand total of 41 new investments- 1 MMM, 5 MM, 4 M and a total 23 Şok stores in Turkey, 6 new stores in Russia, 1 in Bulgaria and 1 in Azerbaijan. With the addition of these new investments, Migros reached 425 points of sale at the end of year 2002, consisting of 65 M stores, 58 MM stores, 30 MMM stores and 3 shopping centers and hypermarkets. 3 Ramstores in Baku, 15 Ramstores in Moscow, 3 Ramstores in Kazakhstan, 2 Ramstores in Sofia.
The Ramstore in Baku, destroyed after a fire in 2001, was replaced. Within 6 months, Ramstore Hatai opened its doors again- with an investment of $4.5 million. A Ramstore in Sofia was opened in May 2001, followed by a second store in July, 2002.
In 2003, Migros opened its first retail store with direct access to subway in Metrocity, a shopping mall in the Levent district of Istanbul.
There are currently approximately 7 million customers holding Migros Club Cards.
