Business Principles of METRO CountryName

Our Business Principles are an important part of our compliance culture. Adhering to them is part of our self-image and our promise to our customers as well. Violations of our Business Principles will not be tolerated by our community or our company.

Compliance at metro

Compliance is first and foremost a question of good corporate culture. Only together can we fill it with life.

Our compliance values and METRO's business principles help us in our day-to-day business to

protect the interests of our customers and METRO,
to be an attractive employer,
protect the company and its employees from harm.

There may be circumstances in which it is better to have a conversation outside the immediate environment.

In these cases, incidents can also be addressed through our whistleblower system. Each individual report will be appropriately investigated. The whistleblower will not suffer any adverse treatment because of a report made in good faith. And: We naturally also protect affected colleagues from unjustified accusations.

There is a structured and comprehensible procedure for all relevant cases. A committee with representatives from Compliance, HR, Legal and Internal Audit ensures that every report is treated fairly and processed consistently.

compliance REPORTING SYSTEM

Compliance and integrity have a high priority at METRO GROUP. Reporting them contributes to the economic success of the company and to preserving jobs.

More about our Reporting System

Compliance Principles

1. We strictly separate personal interests from those of the company

In our work for METRO, we represent METRO and its interests. METRO needs your undivided loyalty and dedicated commitment for the benefit of our customers. There is no room for conflicts of interest. In case of doubt, we ask our supervisor or Compliance Officer.

2. We do not offer anyone an unfair advantage

In our dealings with business partners and authorities, the following applies always and everywhere: We do not offer any unjustified advantages and avoid even the appearance of bribery. We offer what is performance-related and, especially when dealing with authorities, we strictly adhere to the law. If we want to offer an advantage that could be considered unjustified, we first seek discussion with our supervisor or compliance officer. Low-value or symbolic gifts, invitations from business partners to business dinners in an appropriate setting and, of course, aggressive price competition and convincing product offerings and services are fine.

3. We do not exploit our position for personal benefits

We work with thousands of business partners. It is important that we do not demand or accept personal benefits when selecting business partners. Rather, we look only to the best interests of our customers and the company when selecting them. We also avoid any appearance of bribery and prefer to check with our Compliance Officer once too often if we are unsure. Invitations to professional events such as product launches, low-value and symbolic gifts, and invitations to business dinners in an appropriate setting are fine.

4. We handle all information from the company confidentially

Much of the information that helps us provide the best possible service to our customers is confidential. To prevent confidential information from falling into the wrong hands, we are always mindful of with whom and where we share information. The following applies: We do not disclose company information or documents to third parties outside of our normal business processes. In case of inquiries, we refer to the responsible colleagues at METRO. Information published or publicly confirmed by METRO is, of course, not confidential.

5. We respect the rules of fair competition

Competition drives us to make the best possible offers to our customers. That is why we strictly comply with antitrust law.

In practice, this means that we do not talk to competitors about matters relevant to competition, such as purchase and selling prices, costs and customers. We do not agree our selling prices with suppliers. We do not obtain information about specific competitors via the supplier.

6. We treat everyone equally

Discrimination is not acceptable. At METRO, we treat each other with respect and protect all employees from any discrimination, such as based on their worldview, origin, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and identity, gender or disability.

Any form of harassment, especially bullying and sexual harassment, also has no place in our community.

7. We are a fair employer

Our employees are important to us! That is why we create and maintain fair working conditions. Of course, this means that we comply with labor laws. It also means that we as a company respect national rights at our many locations. For example, employees can organize themselves within the framework of these national laws if they wish to do so.

8. We respect the law

It sounds simple, but it is immensely important: We always work in accordance with the law and the applicable corporate guidelines. Living this principle requires the personal responsibility of each individual.

This means we inform ourselves about important regulations, keep ourselves up to date and take part in training events. We ask our Compliance Officer if we are unsure.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR BUSINESS PARTNERS

The METRO Code of Conduct for Business Partners sets out the essentialbasic principles in the areas of environment, social affairs and businessethics that we expect our partners to fulfill in their daily cooperation.

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