How analyze it youIt should not be generalized

painful trades. We have implemented a time savings account that allows employees to accumulate overtime not paid from the perspective of a start early retirement. On the side of consumption, we adapt. Our hypermarkets suffer. We install us there where people live, because they move less. Back in the downtown, it tests innovative concepts, we adapt our offer.

The resounding failure of Arcandor casts light flood some capitalism in German. How analyze it you

It should not be generalized. What has most shocked people, is to see the pattern of Arcandor, Karl - Gerhard Eick, starting with EUR 15 million after all just six months in the Group! Everyone knew that the Group was more viable in the State. For what concerns us, we manage in a common society 60 high-end in Karstadt department stores supermarkets. We are at risk in the amount of EUR 50 million, but we are hopeful that the judicial administrator renegotiates down all leases and therefore these stores survive.

Is the question of the salaries of the patterns a subject in Germany

The debate is different from the one in France. Abuses are also disputed. But that pattern wins 4 million per year, I can earn my results, no problem.

As Arcandor, Rewe is present in tourism. You were even told candidate for the resumption of its publicly traded subsidiary Thomas Cook. What are your ambitions in this area

My first decision as Rewe boss was to sell our airline LTU end of 2006, and it was a good decision. Today, the tourism industry is almost 5 billion euros of turnover. Number three in tourism in Europe, with 620 travel agencies, we became this year Germany second behind TUI. Thomas Cook would be a good complement because they are strong abroad, where we are not present. It is not a priority but with the evolution of the record, we can look more closely. The current owners have no vocation to handle this kind of long-term activities.

In the meantime, we develop travel health, after the acquisition of Dr. Holidays, and an Internet platform specializing in the rental of mobile homes. We also sell our travel in our supermarkets, and this works better in better. Finally, our tourism activity has a size advantage: it generates a recurrent cash more of 700 million euros, which makes us less dependent on banks.

How does the alliance of European distributors Coopernic that Rewe is part alongside including Leclerc

With the exception of the Belgian Colruyt, we are all of cooperative origin. And it must be admitted, in retail trade, cooperatives are behind with their internationalization. Together today, we represent 110 billion euros of purchase volume and some 20,000 outlets in Europe. With a small structure in Brussels, Coopernic is a plant of purchases, but also and above all a great place of exchange of know-how. In an alliance, everything is matter of balance. Michel-Edouard Leclerc brings its dynamism, creativity and this fierce desire known him. Colruyt is a veritable war machine, Coop Switzerland, a reference in the fair trade and organic, as Rewe, which also brings his vision of the process and cost management. By purchasing Iki in Lithuania in 2007, Coopernic has finally become a real strategic entity. We have a new not this year with Netga in Latvia.

How you reconcile the cooperative nature of Rewe and your obligation to profitability

He n’y was no contradiction between the fact d’être a cooperative and the creation of value. Only the methods differ. Several months ago, j’ai was contacted by shareholders in Carrefour for the branch of the group. We discussed and j’en have reached the conclusion that this n’était job not done for me. I n’aurais not been good. There is a fundamental difference between my approach of trader and financial. REWE is a cooperative. It weighs 50 billion in sales d’affaires, more than half less than crossroads, but its own capital are 20 higher. Identifies an Ebita margin on sales 2 d’affaires, because profitability n’est not our ultimate goal. The Ebita is EBIT impacted by a strong development, more than 3 billion d’investissements in 2008, and dividends paid to our cooperating 1,500. They need to reinvest and progress. REWE is also investing in the development sustainable jusqu’à 20 million per year. Our goal is to reduce 30 gas emissions greenhouse d’ici by 2015. This cost of l’argent in the short term, but also popularity in teams. At the time where the large distribution won less and less d’argent, where staff is less and less well paid, with demobilized cashiers and heads of RADIUS overwhelmed despite weeks of 70 hours, we must change our behaviours.