The firm that has 146 supermarkets arrived in Villa María and plans to open more stores in Córdoba

Wherever it sets foot, Cooperativa Obrera decides to walk steadily. This important player in supermarkets in Argentina, with 146 branches in seven provinces, has now started operating in Villa María. It is his first foray into Córdoba and he now announces that it will not be the only one.

The social enterprise born in 1920 from a group of 173 railway workers who wanted to beat inflation opened its doors on May 24 in the commercial complex that was once a Hyper Liberty and then the Hyper Amma (See: Announce Amma’s arrival at Híper and Paseo Libertad in Villa María).

It has six thousand square meters covered and 14 thousand in total, and is located at the access to Villa María by national route 158 and Highway.

Its opening generated a high impact in the city and the region. The most eloquent postcards were an overflowing parking lot towards the neighboring neighborhoods and two-hour waits to be able to cross the checkout line, due to the number of people who wanted to go shopping the first few days at the La Coope hypermarket, as it is now called.

With branch 146 open in Villa María, the arrival in Córdoba is made official, after achieving a presence in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Chubut, La Pampa, Río Negro, Neuquén and Santa Fe.

Héctor Jacquet, general manager of Cooperativa Obrera Limitada de Consumo y Vivienda, told The voice What are the plans for Córdoba and the keys to growth for this company that, in Bahía Blanca, manages 70% of the food market and competes with the main international chains.

There are those who assure that where they arrive they become a reference so that the prices of basic inputs remain calmer. It is something that is in his seed.

The story tells that when the inflation of the interwar years and the high price of wheat made bread unaffordable for Argentine families, they were born with the aim of making this basic complement for each working table.

against inflation

“Times never repeat themselves, but it is true that there are comparable situations,” says the manager, putting that context next to the current one.

“Inflation always gives rise to speculation. Its causes are many: monetary policy, confidence, interest rate, among others. But when the accelerating engine of speculation appears, everything starts to increase ‘just in case’”, he analyzed.

Fighting against this speculation, the Cooperativa Obrera, 10 years after its birth, added food distribution. Thus began its path in supermarkets, with growth that led it to have, in a century, more than 2.5 million associates and almost 6,800 employees.

Institutional continuity, rooted in cooperative principles and internal democracy were key to going through all kinds of vicissitudes and reaching this present, as defined by the head of the organization.

The ability to adapt was very important to grow in competitive environments. In 1996, the first multinational supermarkets landed in Bahía Blanca and two others joined in a year.

“It seemed that the tremor was coming to us. But he made us review the services we provided, the type of supermarkets we had, and even the communication and link with the associates. Those companies brought new things and we quickly came out with our only tool: to be better”, revealed the manager, who assures that they never went “to ring the bell” for any municipal government to set limits on foreign companies.

Free competition made them stronger and gave them a great base to go out to the rest of the country as a more efficient company.

In expansion

– Was this exit to other provinces due to the need for markets or due to natural growth?

–Juan B. Justo always made analogies between organizations and biology. He said that an organism that stops reproducing begins to die. At Cooperativa Obrera we aim to have more associates and more employees each year. For that we have to open more supermarkets. There is a vocation for permanent growth and development. In some cases, it is out of own necessity; and in others, because towns and cities ask us to go.

–But in Villa María it was not like that…

– This is the most particular case. Mutual Amma was here, with a strong commitment to the community, who saw this place fall apart and took the risk of buying it. Then there was a call to the Workers’ Cooperative to take over the supermarket. And since we also have a shopping own (Bahía Blanca Plaza Shopping), we are going to collaborate in the management of the stores that surround the supermarket. The fundamental component is to accompany a venture that wanted to rescue something so that it would not fall. We want people to accompany us and offer them better purchasing conditions, always be competitive. We arrived with the idea of ​​improving the square.

–What is special about the La Coope supermarket?

–First of all, a very familiar and close treatment that is part of our work culture. On the other hand, we have 1,200 own-brand products in food, bicycles, small electrical appliances, refrigerators, stoves, and televisions. In addition, we always participate in all price control programs of all governments. Not because we believe that this will solve inflation, but because in these times people need to have a lower-priced option. Finally, we offer our own basket of basic products, in which we maintain the price for one month without moving it. All this set makes the cooperative a place where, between additions and subtractions, going shopping is cheaper. However, we never neglected that it is a supermarket for everyone, so we carry all the leading brands as well.

– Does this landing in Córdoba have plans to open new outlets?

–Córdoba is one of the most interesting provinces. There is a vocation for development and growth that is in its people. In this first stage, we are going to strongly consolidate the hypermarket, and within the province we are going to support other cooperative experiences with product supply and logistics. We already had meetings with people from the city of Córdoba, as well as Devoto (San Justo) and Traslasierra. But, first, we want to provide a good service here and that Villa María is satisfied.

More than a supermarket

For Villa María, Jacquet defined two stages: one with the opening of the supermarket, which is already underway, and another from October, with all the stores in the shopping authorized and an annual agenda of social and cultural activities.

The goal is for the building, which also has four cinemas, a game room and a food court, to become a meeting place for people from the city and the region.

In addition to the 146 branches, among which there are surfaces of five thousand meters and others that are local businesses, Cooperativa Obrera has a cycle 2 refrigerator, a sausage industry, a central bakery in which it produces for all its branches, two own distribution centers in Bahía Blanca and in Cipoletti (Río Negro), plus another in General Rodríguez (Buenos Aires). In addition, it has a computer development center with a hundred professionals, inaugurated last year and from which the software on which the entire operating system runs, a payment application (My Coope) that works as an electronic wallet and purse, and each customer is offered the Coope Plus credit card, which will also begin to operate in businesses in this region .

In the relationship with the associate and his family, the entity focuses on its Community Action management, which addresses social and cultural commitment activities, ties with solidarity entities, and environmental care policies, among other initiatives.