Pioneering endeavours, successful results, record-breaking donations and recordhigh wage increases, new social responsibility campaigns and launching the online store have all marked the 18th year of the Serbian operations of dm drogerie markt
The value principle “Man at the centre of operations”, which has been applied consistently throughout the entire group since its foundation, remains dm’s main guiding principle. Whether it refers to employees, customers or partners, dm is always led by the notion that the economy is in the service of people, and not the other way around.
As a company, dm drogerie markt in Serbia achieved a turnover of 22.5 billion dinars in the 2021/22 business year, representing growth of 18.67%, thus successfully completing its 18th year of doing business in the country. The company’s coming of age was accompanied by the introduction of the concept of persistently favourable prices, which changes the way shopping is done on the local market, as well as record-breaking salary increases of up on three occasions during the year. As one of the retail sector’s biggest players, dm began the new business year by launching its online shop, thus bringing its services and products closer to customers all over Serbia.
Over the course of the previous business year, dm Srbija expanded its retail network with the opening of seven new drogerie. It thus now has 119 shops in 31 towns and cities in the country. The company has invested more than 1.06 billion dinars in the opening of new retails outlets and the renovating of existing ones, expanding the distribution centre and opening a new central headquarters for dm, while the number of employees has reached almost 1,600. The company introduced its “always affordable” concept at the beginning of 2022, thereby replacing occasional discounts with consistently favourable prices that reflect stability during the ever-present rise in market prices.
At the level of the group as a whole, which encompasses operations in 14 countries, dm achieved a total turnover of 13,581 billion euros and expanded its sales network to 3,945 drugstores, while the number of employees across the group exceeded 71,600.
LEADERS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
During the 2021/22 business year, dm Srbija donated as much as 34.74 million dinars to local communities, including 28 million donated in the form of financial assistance and used to procure essential equipment, while 6.74 million was given in the form of donations of goods from the company’s range. The company’s social engagement over the preceding business year was completed with the now traditional “dm Women’s Race”, under the organisation of the Belgrade Marathon, with which this drugstore chain once again provided support to women, while the number of participants was in excess of 1,600.
September 2022 marked the start of the fourth cycle of the traditional “Plant a tree” project, which represents the largest afforestation campaign in Serbia and was launched by dm Srbija in partnership with media company Adria Media Group and institutional partners. As a result of this project’s engagements to date, the previous three iterations of the campaign resulted in the planting of a total of 350,000 trees, while 250,000 new seedlings are planned to be planted during the upcoming cycle.
SERIES OF ACCOLADES AS MOST DESIRABLE EMPLOYER CONTINUE
dm Srbija ranked among the “20 most desirable TOP employers in Serbia” according to the largest domestic survey on the perception of employer branding in Serbia, conducted by labour market solutions portal Poslovi infostud. This acknowledgement further fortifies the dm chain’s position as one of the most sought-after companies for employment, professional advancement and expert training. Competitive salaries, with two additional salary instalments during the year, the “smart working” work from home concept, various courses, training sessions and seminars, but also free general health check-ups – represent just a few of the numerous benefits that this chain provides for its employees.