{"id":13663,"date":"2022-02-23T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stories.valora.com\/?p=13663"},"modified":"2022-02-25T12:28:18","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T11:28:18","slug":"danke-merci-thank-you-dankjewel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stories.valora.com\/en\/danke-merci-thank-you-dankjewel\/","title":{"rendered":"Danke! Merci! Thank you! Dankjewel!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The people in the Valora network braved the crisis once again in 2021 and performed outstandingly. Valora is proud of them \u2013 and asks nine representative employees and partners to report on their day-to-day work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In sales, administration and production, the around 15,000 people in the Valora network dealt with the working conditions hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic in an exemplary fashion and demonstrated a high level of flexibility. They helped strengthen the company and brightened up their customers\u2019 journey days wherever and whenever possible. Valora would like to thank its employees, franchisees and agency operators wholeheartedly and will continue to support them to the best of its ability in overcoming the pandemic \u2013 be it with protective measures, advice or financial assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian Samali, BackWerk Germany Franchisee<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI\u2019ll never forget 11 March 2021 \u2013 after three months of closure, I was finally allowed to reopen my BackWerk shops. The lights were on, the staff were back, and the smell of fresh baked goods was in the air \u2013 it was amazing! But of course I look back with mixed feelings on the past year, which was completely dominated by COVID-19. New safety measures were constantly being introduced. Employees weren\u2019t able to come in. There were also supply bottlenecks. As a completely independent entrepreneur, I\u2019d have gone down in the COVID-19 pandemic. I know that for sure. But Valora never left us on our own \u2013 no matter what challenges we faced. For example, we received daily updates on the safety regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was also motivated by my personal drive to keep the shops running whenever possible. I want to be there for my customers and offer them a bit of normality even during the crisis. And then, of course, there\u2019s my team \u2013 we depend on each other. When things get hectic or problems occur, we tackle them together. This enables us to jointly meet the challenges posed by the pandemic. It bonds us together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patricia Jansen, Assistant Manager, BackWerk Hilversum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cMy personal highlight of 2021 was my promotion. After just a few months at the BackWerk store in Hilversum, I was offered the position of assistant manager \u2013 a dream job. I love working with my team and enjoy the interaction and how we motivate each other. My ultimate goal is to open my own sales outlet one day as I really like the BackWerk concept. We have a wide product range, and thanks to the open kitchen, our customers can see everything we prepare. It\u2019s authentic and pleasant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The constantly changing COVID-19 safety regulations made things difficult over the last year. In addition, some of our regular customers were not vaccinated so had no COVID-19 certificate, and we were not able to serve them inside. They had to sit outside in the cold whatever the weather \u2013 which was sometimes harsh. Talking to our customers is very important to me \u2013 and more than ever during the pandemic. An older customer who comes by every day and always orders coffee and a croissant is particularly close to my heart. She\u2019s from abroad and doesn\u2019t speak Dutch very well. But thanks to our short conversations, her Dutch is getting better every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anja Rudolph, Assistant Head of Sales, Ditsch Production \/ B2B, Mainz<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI have been working at the Ditsch pretzel bakery in Mainz for ten years now and in the Sales back office since 2018. I love my work in Sales and am in constant contact with the various departments \u2013 from Development to Production and Marketing. One of the best moments for me in 2021 was when we were able to return to work and finally have a face-to-face meeting in a large group again. I hadn\u2019t seen most of my colleagues for months and, of course, I really missed talking to them directly. Although online meetings are a good way of exchanging ideas and coordinating with each other, there are many subtleties in interpersonal communication that you only notice when you sit together with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the lockdown in spring and summer 2021, I was surprised at how quickly and effectively our order situation recovered. We now supply retail and wholesale customers around the globe \u2013 in Germany and the USA, as well as in Japan, China, Israel, Canada and Australia. We want to gain an even better understanding of the relationships with these customers in the coming year and ensure they get personalised support. We will therefore be introducing a new tool for customer relationship management in 2022. I\u2019m looking forward to it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misha Perillat, avec Agency Manager, Tamoil Service Station Croix-de-Rozon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cOur avec is not far from the border between Switzerland and France and is an important, popular meeting place for many people in the area. Many older people come by every day without a car, shop for the most important household items and meet their neighbours and acquaintances. Of course, this is even more of a blessing during the COVID-19 pandemic because social contact is currently heavily restricted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really enjoy interacting with my customers in person. It\u2019s a nice feeling when you realise how much good it does to have a conversation, even if it\u2019s just a few sentences. The fact that so many people remained loyal to us despite the restrictions by the authorities proves to me that my team and I do a lot of things right and that our work is appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julian H\u00fcrlimann, Working Student, Valora Digital, Zurich<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cAs a working student, I\u2019m constantly commuting between two worlds \u2013 studying at the University of St. Gallen and working at Valora Digital. But I don\u2019t see this situation as a double burden. Sure, sometimes it is stressful. Especially around exam time. But I can put what I have learned in theory directly into practice. Our team works extremely well together, even if we rarely sit next to each other in the office. We are well connected with each other and meet regularly for virtual coffee breaks. It\u2019s important to chat about private stuff, too. Of course, as we all share a passion for new technologies and digital developments, there\u2019s always something to talk about in that area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I joined Valora Digital in October 2020, I was one of two working students. In the meantime, we are nine working students and interns. Valora Digital is a bit like a start-up within the Group. We drive each other forward. And together, we can make a big difference. Around the start of 2021, for example, we launched the 24\/7 store at Hardplatz in Zurich together with the other departments. The avec site there functions partly with staff and partly autonomously via the avec 24\/7 app. We\u2019ve invested countless hours in this hybrid solution. It was an incredible feeling when I was allowed to enter the converted store.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carmen Matthies, Area Sales Manager, Press & Books, Hamburg<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI manage the Press & Books stores at Hamburg Airport. My work is very varied, and I constantly commute back and forth between the sales outlets at the various terminals and floors. That easily adds up to 10,000 steps a day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, at the airport, we have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Five of the six stores were closed for more than an entire year in 2020\/2021. Unbelievable. During this time, some of my team worked at other locations, while others were on short-time work. We kept each other in good spirits in a chat group. Meanwhile, I kept them up to date with the latest developments. I have a great team, lots of long-serving employees. So, it was a great relief when I received the call that we could reopen on 1 July 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burkhard Lange Project Manager at Valora Retail Germany, Hamburg<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201c2021 was a special year for me. Shortly after I joined Valora in October 2020, the lockdown started, and we were working from home. So, I mainly got to know the company, the processes and the people online and over the phone. It was quite a challenge because I very much appreciate working directly with others. But I don\u2019t want to complain. On the contrary, my colleagues have been very helpful. I quickly assumed responsibility for managing strategic projects and implementing them as part of a team. Among other things, Deutsche Bahn opened its first 24\/7 ServiceStore near Hamburg in June 2021 \u2013 based on the technology of our avec box, which had already been tried out in Switzerland. The completely new format for Retail Germany got off to a successful start \u2013 within a short time, we received a massive, positive media response and the app needed to enter and shop in the store was downloaded multiple times. So, my start at Valora has been a great success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicole Portmann, Agency Manager of k kiosk and Press & Books, Zug<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cAt the end of May 2021, we opened a second k kiosk store at Zug railway station. At first, I was sceptical whether this would work in these rather difficult times. We had to postpone the opening three times due to the pandemic, which made staff planning quite a challenge. But I was pleasantly surprised! The kiosk is doing very well and has become a popular meeting point. We now have a loyal customer base in all three of my shops at Zug railway station. Older customers in particular appreciate the fact that we are there for them seven days a week. It\u2019s like a ritual \u2013 they drop by, buy a daily newspaper and stay for a quick chat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really enjoy interacting with the customers. Most of them are in a hurry and just have time for a friendly hello. But you also have a lot of personal conversations where you find out good but also sad things. One customer is actually very helpful. The pensioner, who used to work at Zug railway station, goes to the post office every morning for us to pick up the large range of daily newspapers we sell. What\u2019s a welcome change for him is a valuable support for us in our hectic everyday lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, we are feeling more and more how tense people have become, which is most certainly due to the pandemic. A lot of them are a bit irritated or they get annoyed by the social distancing and hygiene rules. I\u2019m fortunate that I can rely on a good team that can deal with it. Respect is the most important thing for me, both towards customers and one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valentina Teganini, Managing Director of Caff\u00e8 Spettacolo, Zurich<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI love my work at Caff\u00e8 Spettacolo in the heart of Zurich\u2019s main railway station \u2013 the hustle and bustle and all the people who come and go every day. This place has special meaning for me because my father worked here for many years as a yardmaster. I practically grew up at the station!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, I\u2019ve been working in the hospitality industry for 15 years and have seen many changes during this time. But something like this pandemic? No, I could never have imagined that. Like my colleagues at the other Caff\u00e8 Spettacolo sales outlets, we had to contend with a string of challenges last year. It was not always easy to stay positive. But I always tried to convey an air of confidence and therefore motivate my team. My employees are important to me. I\u2019m really thrilled they all joined forces and pulled together during this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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