Marcel Haraszti, CEO of REWE International AG, says: "Without the 34,000 great women, we would not be able to operate our BILLA, BILLA PLUS, BIPA and PENNY stores at this level of quality. We probably wouldn't even be able to open them every day. A simple 'thank you' on International Women's Day is not enough. We have to offer women real equal opportunities! Every woman in our company has the opportunity to train and develop. And can find the job that suits her life - in the stores, in the branches or at head office, full-time or part-time. But our commitment does not end here. We know that there is still too much room for improvement in the gender balance at senior management levels. We are committed to working continuously to achieve a balanced ratio here!"
More women in management positions thanks to "Women's Drive" and "f.ernetzt"
"A look at our store managers, branch managers and team leaders shows that, at around 60 per cent, the majority of them are female. In the case of locations with more than 50 employees, they manage a medium-sized business. However, the proportion of women at head office management and department management level is significantly lower. We are taking measures to counteract this imbalance of women and men in higher management positions, for example with our 'Women's Drive' programme," explains Alexandra Draxler-Zima, Managing Director of REWE International Dienstleistungs GmbH.
Since 2017, the one-year "Women's Drive" programme has specifically strengthened women in management positions. It consists of several seminars and accompanying mentoring from internal managers. On the basis of this programme, a new group management position in the area of goods flow control was recently developed with a woman at the top. A promotion from group management to divisional management was also achieved. In addition, the internal network "f.ernetzt" gives female managers the opportunity to regularly exchange ideas and empower each other, and the ADA app will help around 300 young employees to visualise their strengths and successes in the future. At REWE Group, transparent career paths ensure that women can realise their full potential as managers sustainably and at all levels of the company.
BILLA Kaufleute model supports women in their self-employment
The BILLA Kaufleute model is a unique concept in Austria that stands out above all for its strong backing and support and significantly expands the BILLA portfolio alongside traditional BILLA and BILLA PLUS stores. Last year, it also paved the way for a woman to become self-employed for the first time: Sandy Wipprecht is the name of Austria's first female shop assistant, who has been managing her store in Vienna's 21st district independently with the support of BILLA since November 2023.
Over 60 per cent of women at BILLA, BILLA PLUS, BIPA and PENNY work part-time
REWE Group wants to create an environment that offers optimal working conditions, equal opportunities and room for manoeuvre for all employees, regardless of the professional field in which they work at BILLA, BILLA PLUS, BIPA or PENNY. In this context, the compatibility of work and family is essential. Over 60 per cent of all female employees work part-time. External awards, including the Work and Family Audit, confirm REWE Group's successful approach. Examples of real, effective support offerings include flexible working time models (also for managers) and the option of mobile working, childcare during the Easter and autumn holidays, various holiday camps for employees' children and tailored advice for managers on all matters from the HR Business Partners.
Promotion in the online shop of BILLA and BIPA on the occasion of International Women's Day
REWE Group is constantly working to close the internal gender pay gap with clear and more comparable job worlds (according to Statistik Austria 2021 the Austrian gender pay gap is 18.8 per cent). To set an example for the importance of fair pay for women, BILLA and BIPA are taking 18.8 per cent of customers' online shop orders on International Women's Day.
