After a very brief introduction to Coop, Oskar Lundgren, Assortment Manager, as well as the Sourcing Manager Adam Bratt, and the Product Developer Sofie Wilander, presented the different strategies and measurements they use when introducing new products in Coop's assortment. Among other things, they utilize KPIs such as the CPI (consumer price index) in order to compare prices and establish a benchmark for the purchasing price of products against the competition. Moreover, Coop's representatives presented the different types of assortments in a category (e.g., regional, seasonal, niche), its own private labels, and its sourcing strategies.

After the presentation, students were presented with a challenge: creating the best possible business case for a new potential product launch within Coop's ice cream category, in particular under their own premium brand “Coop Gourmet”. The students' suggestions were extremely interesting and useful for the representatives, and they spanned from product campaigns, to price policies, to the esthetic design of the product as well as the flavours that should be considered for the introduction of a new ice cream.

Andrea Maggino and Jacopo Breschi, Key Account Managers, Coop's Retail Club