Small cooperative becomes a successful company

With its nearly 70-year history, KOP-KA Zrt. is one of the key players in Tolna County’s retail sector. It isn’t a big member of the COOP Group’s but the company is definitely a stable firm that is rooted in the cooperative traditions. The firm was established in 1947 and became a private limited company in 2007. Since then Ede Jakab has been its president-CEO, who throughout the years integrated Tolna-COOP and Bát-COOP stores and a baking factory into KOP-KA. Currently KOP-KA operates 39 stores and employs 240 people; this year they calculate with HUF 3.5 billion in sales. The company spent hundreds of millions on modernising stores, including the development of their information technology, energy use and cooling systems, plus the improvement of their fresh product service. Mr Jakab told that one of the keys to their success is the mutually beneficial cooperation with local suppliers. KOP-KA is part of people’s everyday life in Hungary’s Southern Transdanubia region, not only with selling products but also with organising traditional COOP events. This year Ede Jakab received the Gábor Klauzál Prize for his career. The CEO retires this year but he keeps his presidential position and continues working in the company’s strategic management. Former commercial director Szabolcs Viola will be responsible for operative work in the future.