Electronic data exchange with Metro

Metro AG, headquartered in Düsseldorf, operates wholesale and retail businesses worldwide, with a clear commercial focus on wholesale. The MDAX-listed group manages the Metro Cash&Carry stores (METRO Wholesale) and the Real retail chain, among others. In fiscal year 2018/2019, Metro AG generated global sales of around 27 billion euros.

In 2016, the Group began the digital integration of its, at the time, around 230 stores and over 20,000 international distribution partners. All companies belonging to the retail group receive IT support from Metro-Systems, the Metro Group’s in-house IT service provider. This also applies to all EDI communication.

Metro AG is steadily and energetically driving the transformation of the food and hospitality sector with digital solutions, making it one of the companies that benefited early on from novel ways of addressing and engaging customers, as well as from technical solutions for greater efficiency in day-to-day business. To this end, Metro cooperates with external partners of customers and suppliers such as Softzoll, among others, in order to make digital innovations usable for the Group and its business partners as quickly as possible.

In order to be able to exchange data electronically with Metro as a customer or supplier, you need to register via the Metro Link Portal.

Although fairly successful attempts are being made to control EDI communication within the Metro Group centrally via Metro Systems, EDI processes are still implemented differently in the various sales divisions and subsidiaries:

Metro Headquarters is generally responsible for receiving and processing EDIFACT INVOIC messages. The Metro C&C and Metro Real sales divisions are billed via Markant using their own INVOIC format. Other sales divisions use individual ORDERS processes according to different EDIFACT standards and with different order contents. For these a separate processing routine is often required for the EDI data exchange of the order data, for example.

To make things clearer, let’s explain some terminology:

• Metro Central: Central invoicing for some sales divisions via the EDIFACT message type INVOIC, other sales divisions as EDIFACT INVOIC via Markant
• Metro C&C – Cash & Carry: Own EDIFACT ORDERS definition, EDIFACT INVOIC via Markant
• Metro MDL: Metro Service and Logistics
• Metro MGH: Metro Global Holdings:
• Metro C+C Schaper: Former Schaper stores as part of Metro C&C
• Metro MGE: Metro Group Purchasing (today MGB)
• Metro Real: Metro sales division with Real stores: own EDIFACT ORDERS definition, EDIFACT INVOIC via Markant
• Metro MGL: Metro Group Logistics:
• Metro MGB: Metro Group Buying (formerly: Metro MGE)
• Metro MIAG: Metro International AG
• Metro MGI: Metro Group Information Technology

As your EDI service provider with years of experience through numerous implementations in the Metro environment, we will gladly assist you in the reliable integration of your business processes with Metro.