one: Did you plan to go abroad from the outset or did you aim to gain professional experience outside your home country, or did this career move come about as a result? If so, how?
Franziska: I had actually planned to spend a semester abroad in Bali in 2020, followed by an internship at REWE Far East in Hong Kong. But that didn't work out because of the pandemic. By a lucky coincidence, I spoke to Benjamin Wölk (Head of Purchasing Discount Freshness, editor's note) about PENNY International and the opportunities to go abroad. That same weekend, I spoke to my closest friends and my parents about a possible assignment abroad and immediately received their support. The following week, I spoke to my boss at the time, Marcus Pratsch (Purchasing Manager Discount Dry Goods 1/Beverages), who also had a lot of experience abroad with REWE and forwarded my application. Finally, Christoph Matschke (Executive Advisor) recommended Romania to me. Six months later, I met Michael Jäger (Divisional Director PENNY International) and Daniel Gross (CEO PENNY Romania) at a meeting in Bucharest. A big thank you at this point to everyone who supported me!

one: Was it easy for you to temporarily leave Cologne behind?
Fabian : During my first two years at PENNY International, I spent more time travelling around the country than at home, so it was relatively easy for me to make the move from my adopted home of Cologne to Bucharest.
Franziska: I love Cologne, I'm at home here and extremely involved in the carnival club. Nevertheless, I decided to do it because it was a great professional opportunity and my personal wish.

one: How easy or difficult was it for you to settle in in Romania? How high was the language barrier?
Fabian : The first three months were extremely challenging. It was a completely new area of responsibility for me, as I was not yet familiar with the position of Confectionery Buyer and Category Manager or with the systems. In Romania, almost everyone speaks English, but at some point you reach your limits professionally, for example when processing leaflets or in large departmental meetings in the local language. In these cases, my colleagues supported me or came with me to the meetings at the beginning. Parallel to my induction, I also completed an intensive language course.

one: Franziska, what was your experience?
Franziska : Similar in terms of the professional side. Although some of my colleagues even speak German and the company language is English, I took a Romanian language course twice a week right from the start so that I could at least have small conversations with my colleagues in the local language. It was also a completely new field of work for me. I was originally a category management assistant, but here in Romania I'm working in strategy and project management. I also moved straight after carnival. The contrast to the 'Cologne lifestyle' and then moving to a foreign city, a different culture and a new professional challenge was extreme.

one: How were you received by your colleagues? Was there any support?
Fabian: Yes, no one who goes abroad has to worry. The support from my colleagues was fantastic. They also helped me beyond professional topics and were happy to give me tips for restaurants or places of interest. I always found open ears and full support and was able to build up a large and close circle of friends in Romania during this time. I am still in close contact with many of my colleagues today.

Franziska: I get a lot of background information and recommendations for restaurants and special sights in Romania from my colleagues. My boss Denisa Popa and I got on very well right from the start and a really good friendship has developed.

one: Back to the challenges. What challenges did you face - professional, personal and cultural?
Fabian: The pace of work and the workload were extremely high at the beginning, as the entire national organisation was in a state of upheaval. There was a rapidly growing market and, as a result, a positive restlessness and the drive to keep up with these demands. As we know it here in Germany, having an interface or a support team for many topics did not exist locally at the time.
One example: After we had signed the contract with the Romanian Football Association, we wanted to launch a customer campaign for the 2016 European Football Championship in France. This campaign was to include jerseys and fan merchandise, and I had three months until the start of the campaign - a completely unrealistic deadline for non-food items. So we designed fan merchandise and clothing ourselves, which we had to source from Romania due to the short time available. However, our quality department was not equipped to check and approve these items at the time. I therefore took samples of all the clothing home a week before the start of the campaign, measured them and washed them ten times in all programme stages. I then measured the items again to check whether the material and prints would hold up. I didn't sleep much during the three months. But I still see people wearing the T-shirts and jumpers on the street in Romania today...

Franziska: I can also tell you about the challenges of driving a car. The roads are extremely crowded, especially during rush hour. Then there's driving on multi-lane roundabouts. For various reasons, I wasn't always fully aware of the speed limit, so my work colleague gave me the tip "Go with the flow!". Since then, I've stuck to it and have literally been driving very well.

one: What are you taking away from Romania for your future career and for yourself?
Franziska : The culture, the open and cheerful attitude of the Romanians. Not only at work, but also in my private life, I notice that they are all keen to experience and achieve something. What I also like is their sense of tradition. I had the opportunity to celebrate Orthodox Easter with a friend and her family. On Saturday we went to church at midnight, the following day we all ate together, there were lots of traditional dishes...

one: That really sounds like you're already fully integrated and have arrived..
Franziska: Yes, I would say I've also done a lot to integrate socially here. That was very important to me. And: professionally, a stay abroad like this is a huge opportunity. I feel very appreciative that REWE Group has given me this opportunity.

Fabian: For me personally, I've realised that it doesn't take much to be happy. Traditions are upheld here, family is a very important part of life. Nevertheless, people are modern, progressive and very digital. Romanians manage to combine the two. They work hard and then use every free minute for friends and family. With regard to my work as a buyer, I am glad that I was able to have these experiences culturally and professionally. I went through a complete change of perspective, got to know different negotiating styles and a wide range of suppliers. I was able to fill my own toolbox and find my own personal style. This change of perspective also helps me in my current job when working with international colleagues.

one: Have you actually travelled around the country a lot?

Franziska: Absolutely. I've already been to the Black Sea several times, flew to Cluj and Timișoara, visited Sibiu Mediaș and Sighișoara on a long weekend and spent a week's holiday in the Danube Delta. On a day trip with a friend via Transfăgărășan, we saw ten or eleven bears on the way - simply incredible! I can now give travel recommendations to my Romanian friends and colleagues.
Fabian: Romania is a really beautiful country. I was more than pleasantly surprised and impressed by Bucharest. It's perfectly connected: two hours by car to the sea, two hours to the mountains. A boat trip to the Danube Delta was an unforgettable experience. The food culture and nightlife also exceeded my expectations. Romania is now my second home.

one: Did you also see yourselves a bit as ambassadors, conveying a positive image of your home country?
Fabian : I believe that when you go to a country, you should integrate yourself, be part of the team and create added value. Then, I believe, you will receive as much encouragement and affection as we do. Of course, all of this also helps our perception in the host country.

Franziska: I've been a member of Vocea PENNY* since the beginning of this year. Together with other colleagues from PENNY Romania, we regularly report on many exciting projects and tasks on Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram & Co. I therefore also take the opportunity to provide lots of insights into PENNY Romania.

one: Do you have any tips for young colleagues who are interested in working abroad within REWE Group?
Fabian: You should ask yourself whether you're the type to go abroad because you have to give up your habits. You should also be completely open culturally and reposition yourself. The first step is always to talk to colleagues who have already been abroad about their experiences. The second step is to weigh up the pros and cons of each country and consider which country would be possible. I think it has become much easier to go abroad at REWE Group, so that you can quickly find out about the framework conditions and opportunities.
Franziska: Colleagues who are interested in a professional stay abroad within REWE Group are welcome to contact Fabian and me. We are always happy to report on our time in Romania. You may have already noticed during this interview...

one: In what way did REWE Group support you as an employer when you moved abroad and back?
Fabian: It's the complete programme of support that you get - from the HR department on site and of course centrally at home. There are clear rules and guidelines for travelling abroad. The international contracts for expats are designed in such a way that you can also travel home regularly. Support with issues such as finding accommodation or tax settlements is absolutely given, with direct contacts for all aspects of the assignment abroad. For me, it's a successful overall package.

one: Do you have anything else you would like to share, perhaps an anecdote that is close to your heart?
Fabian : We once had a campaign with potato crisps. There were prize coupons in the chip packs throughout the country. The trick was that the coupons for the free bags of crisps could only be exchanged at PENNY - regardless of where the crisps were bought. It really helped my category, as many new customers came to our stores. But the challenge was also that we weren't digital back then. You couldn't scan the coupons at the checkout yet, so the shops had to collect the coupons in black bin bags. After six weeks of the campaign, all the coupons were sent to my office. I then had my entire office and our sample room full of coupons from every shop in the country and had to count them for settlement with the supplier. My colleagues didn't leave me alone.
I ordered pizza for everyone and half the PENNY purchasing team and I sat together until 11pm on a Friday evening and counted them. In the end, there were 60,000 coupons. I think the story describes the mentality and cohesion of the colleagues on site well when you are fully integrated into the team.

Franziska: My personal highlight last year was when I came into the office early in the morning and Daniel Gross said "I'm in! That's great! Viva Colonia!". That was a dream and the moment even made it to Cologne. I wrote an article about my time in Bucharest in our carnival club's season booklet and mentioned this special moment. You have to experience something like that.

one: It touches the soul of Cologne. But to the core.
Franziska : Yes, but so much so.
one: Thank you very much, both of you!