"Cash & Carry" Concept

What does the term “Cash & Carry” mean?
The term “cash & carry” derives from English and means “pay in cash and take your goods away.” 

Is it a large supermarket?
No, a supermarket is a form of retail, meaning that it sells to end-users, whereas “Cash & Carry” is a form of wholesale, selling to intermediaries and large commercial users. Our customers buy the goods to cover their daily business needs.

So who are your customers?
To enter the store and make a purchase, a client needs to hold a customer card, which is issued only to professional customers on the basis of official documents they submit. Thus, our stores are open exclusively to legal entities and private entrepreneurs.

We work with three primary groups of customers:

• HoReCa – hotels, restaurants and catering businesses who source food products and supplementary goods from us.
• Traders – small retail outlets, neighbourhood stores, kiosks and private entrepreneurs who buy goods for resale.
• Other business users – offices, service companies, government agencies and other organizations that purchase anything from detergents to office equipment for professional use.

Can an ordinary person walk in a store even just to have a look?
No, cash & carry stores are open only to professional customers. Our goal is to make their shopping experience convenient, fast and efficient. At Metro Cash & Carry, you cannot buy a single chocolate bar. We sell our goods in bulk packaging, which is not very convenient for private users.

If you are a wholesaler, does it mean that you deliver the goods to the customer?
Unlike the traditional wholesale, our concept in based on the self-service. Our customers come to the store, pick their merchandise and carry it away themselves. This is convenient for several reasons.

• We offer a wide assortment of goods, providing for one-stop-shopping and thus allowing our customer to save time.
• Given the permanent availability of goods in our store, the customer can always purchase goods he needs and is able to store and finance them in the short term.
• Despite the principle of cash payment, cash & carry largely takes over the function of financing and stockholding on behalf of its customers.
• Because of our long business hours, a customer can do his shopping at a convenient time, seven days a week.
• Therefore, our customers can enjoy one-stop-shopping while not giving up the benefit of attractive wholesale prices.
  

Is it true that at a cash & carry, prices are lower than in supermarkets?
We at Metro Cash & Carry are able to achieve an attractive price due to a number of factors:

• Bulk quantities. Our customers buy in bulk, and so do we. Our global purchasing power allows us to achieve significant economies of scale.
• Lean operation cost. Based on almost 40 years of experience, we have optimized our logistics and goods management systems to minimize operation costs. The savings are then passed to our customer.

The combination of these two factors allows us to offer to our customers the lowest possible price.

What kinds of goods can one buy at your store?
Typically, cash & carry stores carry a wide assortment in both, Food and Non Food. In Makro, we will offer about 20 000 articles supplied by more than 600 partners. The permanent availability of our merchandise is based on a computerised goods management system which allows us to monitor the stock rotation on a daily basis and place orders with our suppliers in order to avoid “out-of-stock” situations. Because of our assortment competency, customers can rely on us to provide all they need under one roof.