Nearly 20 years of collaboration, co-design, and continuous innovation have helped Metro move from Excel-driven workflows to a unified, transparent, and data-powered sourcing platform.
Synertrade & Metro:
A Nearly 20 Years of Collaboration. One Unified Sourcing Platform
For nearly two decades, Metro has trusted Synertrade to support the transformation of its sourcing operations. Since 2008, the two organizations have built a long-standing partnership – rare in the procurement technology market – grounded in continuity, reliability, and co-design. As one of Europe’s leading retail groups managing thousands of products and complex supplier ecosystems, Metro needed a robust and adaptable platform capable of supporting both standard sourcing processes and highly specialized workflows. Over the years, Synertrade has become a cornerstone of Metro’s procurement infrastructure, providing the stability, transparency, and flexibility that Metro’s teams depend on every day.
What initially convinced Metro to adopt Synertrade was the platform’s ability to adapt to industry-specific needs, something traditional competitors were not ready to offer. Today, that decision continues to prove its value. Synertrade’s tendering and auction modules remain among the most stable and efficient solutions used by Metro’s purchasing teams, enabling fast execution and delivering stronger negotiation outcomes. Recent sourcing events in the food category, such as the French fries auction, have demonstrated tangible improvements in negotiation performance. Another key differentiator has been the GTIN (GTIN: Global Trade Item Number) Management module, developed to support complex private label development cycles, an innovation that was simply not available elsewhere in the market at the time.
From Excel-driven tracking to a unified, transparent workflow
The impact goes well beyond individual workflows. Before Synertrade, several private label processes were coordinated through Excel files, email chains, and manually maintained trackers, making collaboration complex and visibility limited.
Today, Synertrade has helped Metro establish a true single source of truth for all sourcing activities: centralized data, full process documentation, and consistent supplier and user management. This has strengthened compliance, improved collaboration between procurement and quality assurance teams, and eliminated time-consuming manual tracking. A recently co-designed reporting suite now provides deeper visibility into 15 critical milestones of private label development (spanning specifications, internal reviews, and quality checkpoints), turning what used to be fragmented into a transparent, auditable, and efficient digital operation.
Looking ahead to Synertrade 5.1
As Metro prepares for the next phase of its transformation, the forthcoming release of Synertrade 5.1 represents an important milestone. Enhanced performance, improved usability, fewer clicks, and more consistent workflows are high priorities for the Metro’s teams and Synertrade’s roadmap reflects these expectations. With deeper AI-driven insights, a more intuitive UX, and improved real-time reporting, the new version is expected to significantly boost adoption and operational efficiency.
Enhanced Performance
Faster execution and improved system responsiveness
Improved Usability
Fewer clicks and more consistent workflows
AI-Driven Insights
Deeper intelligence for better decision-making
Real-Time Reporting
Improved visibility and operational efficiency
A partnership built to last
The long-standing collaboration between Metro and Synertrade reflects a shared commitment to continuous improvement. While expectations remain high, the relationship is built on transparency, trust, and a mutual understanding of the challenges facing modern procurement organizations. Synertrade remains deeply invested in supporting Metro’s journey, helping them build more resilient, more collaborative, and more data-driven sourcing operations for the future.