Northern Ireland Trade Consultants has hosted a market orientation visit for 15 NI food professionals for the retail and foodservice sectors.
Companies involved in fresh meat, convenience, fruit, dairy, seafood, cereals, drinks, snacks and pet food familiarised themselves with the structure of the Dutch retail and foodservice market during a three day visit to Amsterdam and Utrecht.
The visit included presentations on the retail and foodservice markets; visits to retail chains and foodservice outlets; visits to leading HoReCa cash and carries; a trip to Horecava - the largest HoReCa and foodservice show; a networking dinner with invited guests; and individual meeting opportunities.
The Dutch grocery trade is characterised by ‘full service’ multiple chains such as Albert Heijn, Superunie, Super de Boer and C1000 – all of whom were visited during the week. The Netherlands represents one of the most sophisticated retail markets in Northern Europe and is one of the few mainland European retail markets to follow the UK and Irish trends in convenience. Participants reported that they were particularly impressed with AH’s new XL concept, Jumbo’s performance in the market which saw them winning a major award during the visit and SdeB’s Supermarket of the Year.
