Scaling Matvärlden: Growing a Family Business
Retail Management students in Entrepreneurship & Family Business Retail Club visited Matvärlden for a workshop and a guided tour of the store and its behind-the-scenes logistics.
Jonas Tayli, Group CEO and second-generation family business leader, guided students through the operations, offering insight into how Matvärlden combines an international food assortment with the Swedish hypermarket model. The tour connected the customer experience on the shop floor with the logistics supporting it.
The workshop challenge asked students to imagine Matvärlden with ten hypermarkets across Sweden by 2035 and consider what the company needs to build today to support that growth. Key questions included how to standardise operations while preserving entrepreneurial spirit, develop employees and future leaders, and scale the flow of goods. The case highlighted the challenge of building the capabilities of a larger chain while retaining the identity and customer focus of a family business.
Pragnay Sharma, Key Account Manager, Entrepreneurship & Family Business Retail Club 2026/27
