Framtiden tillhör de modiga med Anna Wallenberg, vd Reitan Convenience

Summary

Anna Wallenberg, CEO of Reitan Convenience, discusses her company’s ambitious sustainability goals, including halving their carbon footprint by 2030. She highlights the importance of leadership and employee involvement in driving change. The PBX 'Living Lab,' a sustainable convenience store, serves as a testing ground for eco-friendly solutions. Anna shares the challenges of offering sustainable convenience products, but sees it as a significant opportunity. Looking ahead, she envisions Reitan leading the way in sustainable retail, transforming consumer behavior and collaborating with suppliers to create more eco-conscious options for on-the-go consumers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Anna Wallenberg is the CEO of Pressbyrån and 7-Eleven, part of the Reitan Group, and has extensive leadership experience.
• 🌍 Reitan Group has set an ambitious sustainability goal: to halve its carbon footprint by 2030.
• ♻️ The company’s largest environmental impact comes from its product range, making it the main focus of sustainability efforts.
• 🤝 Reitan Group is working closely with suppliers to find solutions that will help them reach their sustainability targets.
• 🌱 PBX (Pressbyrån Living Lab) is the world’s most sustainable convenience store, located at the University of Stockholm, testing sustainable practices.
• 💡 PBX is not just a store but also an innovation lab, where successful practices are scaled across all Reitan Group stores.
• 🚶‍♀️ Pressbyrån aims to provide safe, accessible, and inclusive spaces, ensuring stores remain open even in potentially unsafe areas, such as train stations and airports.
• 🏙️ Social sustainability is equally important to Reitan Group, with a focus on providing employment opportunities and being a community-friendly presence.
• 🌍 To achieve sustainability goals, the company emphasizes the need for leadership that inspires and involves all employees in the process of change.
• 📈 Anna stresses the importance of continuously communicating the 'why' behind sustainability efforts to ensure everyone understands their role in the mission.
• 🚀 Looking forward, Reitan aims to lead the convenience sector towards offering sustainable food and drink options, while balancing convenience with environmental responsibility.

Q & A

What are the sustainability goals of Pressbyrån and 7-Eleven for 2030?

Pressbyrån and 7-Eleven aim to halve their climate footprint by 2030. This ambitious goal requires significant changes, especially in their product assortment, which is the largest contributor to their carbon footprint.

How does Pressbyrån plan to achieve its climate goals?

Pressbyrån is working closely with its suppliers to reduce its climate impact. The company has set a goal to halve its climate footprint by 2030, but the exact path to achieving this is still being developed. They are exploring new solutions and changes in various aspects of their business, especially the product assortment.

What is the role of social sustainability in Pressbyrån's strategy?

Social sustainability is a key focus for Pressbyrån. The company aims to contribute to a safer environment by maintaining open stores in high-traffic areas such as train stations, subway stations, and airports. These locations, which may sometimes be unsafe, can be places of increased security, and Pressbyrån strives to be a warm, welcoming space for everyone.

Can you describe Pressbyrån's 'PBX' or Living Lab?

PBX is a concept where Pressbyrån tests sustainable practices in one store, dubbed 'the world's most sustainable convenience store.' Located in Albano, Stockholm, this store serves as a testing ground for sustainable product offerings, store management, waste handling, and more. Successful practices from PBX are then scaled up to other locations.

What is the purpose behind PBX (Pressbyrån's Living Lab)?

PBX was created to implement and test sustainable practices in a real store environment. Since it’s not feasible to transform all stores at once, PBX provides a prototype where sustainable solutions can be trialed. The aim is to find scalable solutions for sustainability that can be rolled out across the entire company.

How does Pressbyrån ensure its leadership drives sustainability?

Pressbyrån places a strong emphasis on leadership in achieving its sustainability goals. The company ensures that all employees are aligned with the sustainability vision by constantly reinforcing the 'why' behind these goals. Leaders are equipped with tools to engage their teams in testing new solutions, piloting new technologies, and making sustainability a core part of the company's culture.

What are some of the biggest challenges Pressbyrån faces in the convenience retail sector?

One of the biggest challenges Pressbyrån faces is offering sustainable options in the convenience sector. Many of the products, especially take-away food, are not sustainable. The challenge is to provide customers with sustainable alternatives while maintaining convenience and ease of use.

What does Pressbyrån envision for the future of convenience retail in five years?

In five years, Pressbyrån hopes to have achieved both its climate and financial goals. The company envisions a future where customers are accustomed to sustainable, on-the-go food options. They also plan to challenge their partners and suppliers to produce more sustainable products for convenience consumption.

How does Pressbyrån balance sustainability with customer convenience?

Pressbyrån aims to provide sustainable options that still meet customers' need for convenience. This balance is achieved by focusing on making sustainable products as easy and accessible as the non-sustainable alternatives, allowing customers to simplify their daily routines without compromising their environmental values.

What role do employees play in Pressbyrån's sustainability efforts?

Employees are crucial in driving Pressbyrån's sustainability efforts. The company ensures that every team member understands the importance of sustainability and is encouraged to contribute ideas, test new solutions, and be a part of the transformation process. Leaders are specifically trained to help their teams navigate and adopt sustainable practices.