Trading Update third quarter 2014

Sligro Food Group’s sales for the first three quarters of 2014 (39 weeks) were €1,896 million, an increase of 2.6% (Q3: 2.6%) compared with sales of €1,849 million in the same period in 2013.

Food retail sales were down 2.7% (Q3: 3.7%). Total Foodservice sales grew by 5.3% (Q3: 5.8%). Group organic growth was 1.5% (Q3: 0.4%). Growth including tobacco products was 2.0% (Q3: 0.9%). Read more in the press release.

Download Trading Update third quarter 2014
(53,4 kB) 

Koen Slippens nominated for Corporate Innovator of the Year

Sligro Food Group CEO Koen Slippens is in the running for the title of Corporate Innovator of the Year.

Among the 25 successful business leaders in the Netherlands who have been shortlisted along with Koen Slippens are Govert Hamers of Vanderlande Industries, ASML's Martin van den Brink, Margrethe Jonkman of Friesland Campina, and Unilever's Paul Polman.

Corporate Innovator of the Year
The Corporate Innovator of the Year award is given to the person who has made an outstanding contribution to innovation in the Netherlands, and who has used innovation to transform an organisation or sector significantly, during the past year.

Presentation on 14 November
This year, business magazine Management Team and Accenture have teamed up to identify the business leaders who have contributed to innovation in the Netherlands. Twenty-five names have made it onto the shortlist, including Sligro Food Group CEO Koen Slippens. The winner of the title of Innovator of the Year 2014 will be announced on 14 November at the Accenture Innovation Awards, which will be held in DeFabrique in Utrecht. The winner of last year's prize was DSM's Rob van Leen.

For more information on the 25 leading corporate innovators in the Netherlands, the prize and the event, visit innovation-awards.nl.
 

Sligro opens new Berkel en Rodenrijs delivery service centre

Sligro’s new delivery service centre in Berkel en Rodenrijs is now operational. The hypermodern delivery service wholesale outlet, with its outstanding sustainability credentials, is located in the Oudeland 2 business park. The building was commissioned just 12 months after the contract to buy the site was signed.

Sustainability
The new building boasts the latest technology to help achieve sustainability targets and has been awarded BREEAM-NL 3-star certification. Thanks to the use of energy-saving technology and insulation, the building has an energy performance rating that exceeds current building regulation requirements by 70%. Notable features include dimmable LED strip lighting with movement sensors, a high standard of thermal insulation, and heat recovery from the refrigeration equipment. Wilco Jansen, spokesman for Sligro Food Group: ‘We have noticed that sustainability is becoming increasingly important to our customers, and so sustainability management is important at Sligro Food Group, too.’

The Hague and Barendrecht
The operations of the Sligro delivery service centres in The Hague and Barendrecht are also being transferred to the new building, as a result of which Sligro will have nine delivery service centres in total. Merging operations in this way makes for greater efficiency. ‘Combining activities yields both financial savings and benefits to society,’ Wilco Jansen explained.

For more information on BREEAM-NL, visit BREEAM Sligro Berkel en Rodenrijs
 

EMTÉ introduces 'Fijnproevers' loyalty programme

Under the Dutch brand name Fijnproevers ('Gourmets'), EMTÉ has launched a unique customer loyalty programme with a local focus.

With the Fijnproevers loyalty card or mobile app, customers can collect points when they shop at EMTÉ. These points can be redeemed for cash discounts at the checkout, goods in the FijnproeversShop, or discounts at participating hospitality, leisure and wellness partners.

App
EMTÉ is the first Dutch supermarket to have a loyalty programme that allows customers to scan their card digitally using an app. This reflects the growing use of mobile apps and ensures that the programme meets the demands of today's customers.

'I am extremely proud of the Fijnproevers programme launch, the app and the new online identity,' said EMTÉ Sales Manager Johan van Heerebeek. 'These initiatives show that when it comes to innovation and communication with customers, EMTÉ can compete with national supermarket chains without losing its local identity and visibility.'

Unique programme
EMTÉ is a supermarket chain with 130 stores, mostly in the provinces of Zeeland, Noord-Brabant, Gelderland and Twente, and is part of Sligro Food Group. The Fijnproevers launch enables local hospitality businesses that are Sligro customers to target EMTÉ customers in their catchment areas with special offers, forming a unique tie-in between food retail and foodservice activities. With over 500 national and local partners, the tie-in and the app, Fijnproevers stands out from other supermarket loyalty programmes.

For more information on Fijnproevers, visit www.emte.nl.
 

Half-year figures 2014: net profit €27 million

Net profit for the first six months was almost €27 million, up 2.3% compared with the corresponding period in 2013. Sales in the first half of 2014 amounted to €1,260
million, an increase of 2.5%. On a like-for-like basis, sales growth was 2.1%

CEO Koen Slippens: 'Although there are signs of a clear recovery in consumer confidence, we are not seeing very much of that in the food market. In the supermarket channel, sales have been flat for some considerable time, amidst strong price competition. In the foodservice market, the rate at which the market is shrinking has clearly slowed. We ourselves managed to grow by 4% in this segment on a like-for-like basis, with sales by our new acquisitions on top of that.

Read more in the press release or watch the video below, with an explanation by CFO
Huub van Rozendaal.

Download Half-year figures 2014
(161,4 kB)

Presentation Half-year figures 2014

On Thursday July 17, Sligro Food Group published its half-year figures 2014. Below you can view or download the presentation Half-year figures 2014.

Download Presentation Half-year figures 2014
(4,4 MB) 

Press conference Half-year figures 2014

On 17 July 2014 Sligro Food Group will publish its Half-year figures. This figures will be discussed at our press conference and in a meeting with analysts. Below are the details and how you can sign up to attend the meeting.

Meetings July 17, 2014
11.00 am: Press conference
13.30 pm: Analysts meeting

Location
Sligro Amsterdam
Van der Madeweg 39
1115 RD Amsterdam-Duivendrecht

Also a conference call will be hosted at 15.30 hours CET. The dial-in number is:
+31 20 531 5859. Please sent an e-mail to Mieke van der Valk, mvdvalk@sligro.nl
if you want to participate or be present at one of the meetings above.

On Thursday 17 July, before start of trading, Sligro Food Group will present the
Half-year figures of 2014.
 

'Plaza Food for All' restaurant format rated best in the Netherlands

The Out of Home Format Awards are given annually on the basis of market research agency GfK's survey of 6,000 consumers who have recently visited one of the many fast-food outlets in the Netherlands, from McDonald's to the corner snackbar. They are asked to rate some twenty aspects on both relevance and quality.

Plaza Food for All gets top score for fast service
Plaza Food for All was the winner in the fast-service category, with high scores for hospitality, price and quality. After coming third in 2013, Plaza Food for All has focused in the past year on hospitality and customer-friendliness by organising workshops and providing training courses for franchisees and staff. Its efforts have been greatly appreciated by customers and duly rewarded with the 2014 Format Award!

Soft-franchise format
Plaza Food for All is Sligro's soft-franchise with 79 outlets across the Netherlands. It's a restaurant for young and old, offering complete meals, burgers and salads alongside the traditional French fries and snacks, as well as special treats for children such as birthday books, gifts and colouring competitions. Read more in the press release.

Download Plaza Food for All
(230 kB)

On the photo, from left to right: Otto Lindeman (entrepreneur Plaza @ The Corner), Maartje Duma (Formula Manager Plaza Sligro) and Bas van Eekelen (Account Manager GfK).

EMTÉ best for cheese in the Netherlands

Not for the first time, the annual survey commissioned by Westland Cheese from market research agency GfK rated EMTÉ as the supermarket group with the best cheese department in the Netherlands. EMTÉ had already won this accolade in 2011, proving its ability to deliver consistently high quality.

GfK's survey of 10,000 customers explored how they perceived the cheese departments of 'their' supermarkets, inviting them to give marks for cheese quality, staff friendliness and expertise, waiting times, special offers and prices, product range, department layout, product availability and cleanliness. EMTÉ achieved the highest score.

Read more in the press release.

Download EMTÉ Best for cheese in the Netherlands
(256,5 kB)

Senior management changes at Sligro

Sligro is pleased to announce the appointment of two new senior managers to its Foodservice team.

Corné Mulders will take up the post of Manager Cash-and-Carry Outlets Netherlands as from 16 June 2014, succeeding Max Pietersma who recently retired. Ann Lambrechts will join the management team as Operations Manager Belgium as from 15 May 2014. Read more in the press release.

Download Appointment Corné Mulders and Ann Lambrechts
(499,1 kB)