Edeka partnered with TOPSIM to create a comprehensive management simulation with two scenarios that would be closely aligned to the business realities and unique challenges of running a retail supermarket business. With 3,700 independent traders and a total of 376,000 employees, the EDEKA group is the leading food retailer in Germany. We have summarized the most important points of our cooperation in this article.
The challenge for the customer
EDEKA regularly offers advanced training courses, and the independent entrepreneurs of the group can sign up their employees for them. Participants from different areas take part in the seminars, most of them are specialized in their own field. In addition, participants work in both wholesale and retail and therefore have different levels of prior knowledge. Due to these circumstances, the participants usually lack an eye for “the big picture” and an understanding of the connections in a company.
Out solution
We developed a business simulation with two different scenarios in which two sizes of retail trade are represented. In the role of the entrepreneurs the participants make decisions in fields such as marketing, personnel, disposition or finances. In the simulation, participants can apply and deepen previously learned methods or theoretical knowledge. At the same time, they learn to manage a market and consider a variety of influencing factors. Current topics and trends are integrated in strategic projects, which contribute to an exchange of experience between the participants.
The value for our customers
The business simulation offers a good opportunity to put participants in the role of an entrepreneur and thus gain new insights. For example, the business simulation enables participants to analyze customer and competitor behavior and apply appropriate competitive strategies. They can also use the key figures of the overall market and/or individual departments to improve their decision-making. The most important thing, however, is that the participants can get to know the different contexts and tasks of the supermarket management in this customized management simulation.
We would like to thank EDEKA for the successful cooperation and look forward to further joint projects.
