European Retail Alliance launched

The European Retail Alliance has officially launched, three months after it was announced that European ecommerce companies MediaMarktSaturn and Fnac Darty wanted to form an alliance. European Retail Alliance is said to be Europe’s answer to ecommerce giants such as Amazon and Alibaba.

The German ecommerce company MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group (with consumer electronic retail brands such as MediaMarkt, Saturn and iBood) and the French ecommerce group Fnac Darty (with brands such as Fnac, Darty and Vanden Borre) announced the online alliance in May of this year. The two parties immediately said the alliance will be open for other retailers to join.

Focus on four strategic areas

The European Retail Alliance was launched officially at IFA, the world’s leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances. Klaus-Peter Voigt, who was the Chief Procurement Officer of the MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group has become CEO of the European Retail Alliance. The organization will focus on four strategic areas:

– ERA Strategic Partnerships: working with manufacturers to develop products, services and solutions
– ERA Data: using findings about customer needs to develop tailored offers
– ERA Innovation: rolling out the strategic innovation approach of the Retailtech Hub startup program
– ERA Sourcing: focusing on own brands and license brands

European Retail Alliance: ‘More than procurement alliance’

“I’m looking forward to my new role as CEO of the European Retail Alliance, through which we plan to set the course for a successful future for consumer electronics ecommerce in Europe“, Voight said. “It’s far more than just a procurement alliance. We intend to create an open, leading consumer electronics alliance concentrating on relevant added value for all stakeholders.”