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Coca-Cola HBC is dedicated to empowering small retailers
Coke Academy is a long-term project of Coca-Cola HBC Serbia designed to empower buyers and help them strengthen their businesses, with this iteration of the academy held with support from food producer Bambi. The buyer-centered event was devoted to small retailers, which surveys show accounted for some 40 percent of all fast-moving consumer goods sales in Serbia in 2022.
‘Small Serbian retailers are highly relevant in the market and matter to us as buyers. In these challenging times, we believe one of the greatest added value propositions we as a large corporation can offer our partners is to keep listening to their needs and continuously learn and exchange knowledge. We launched Coke Academy last year, but we quickly realized we wanted it to become a lasting forum for support to our buyers, who to us always come first. To make sure we move beyond the realm of theory, we offer more than training, making plans and continuing to work with all buyers attending the academy to address specific topics, such as category management. This year we’re introducing another new feature – training for staff on buyers’ teams – and we’ll continue innovating into the future’, said Marija Trivanović, Sales Capability Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Serbia.
The true importance of Coke Academy is underscored by the impressions of participants in the one-day training session. More than 70 small retailers were able to gain new skills and learn from the practical experiences of Coca-Cola HBC Serbia and Bambi staff, as well as from outside presenters, experts who focused on topics such as staff management, driving sales, data-driven business management, shifting patterns of consumer habits in Serbia, and the like.
Coke Academy included a discussion entitled ‘Attracting and retaining talent in today’s business environment’, where the panelists were Sanja Živić (Human Resources Director at Bambi), Gordana Vujić (Executive Recruitment Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Serbia), Miloš Turinski (PR Manager at Infostud), and Katarina Aleksić (Management Director, Fortuna Market).
The next Coke Academy, the fourth in the series, will be aimed at HoReCa buyers and is planned for early October.
