"We never want our clients to be disappointed"

Maarten van 't Hof, Senior Fresh Produce Manager at Coop is very happy with the Coop in Bredenoord in Rotterdam. "This is what a shop should look like", he says. The shop opened last week after a major refurbishment. It now has a spacious and well organised fresh produce department. The set-up of the shop has been completely changed in order to improve the shopping experience. This experience starts in the Fruit and Vegetable section. "In this way we can immediately answer the question most people have when they go shopping: "What are we having to eat today?' ", says Maarten.

Maarten van 't Hof shows the stand where each person can choose their own quantity.

Inspiration
In order to help people answer that question, Coop is enticing its clients to buy more fruit and vegetables through the use of special offers. These are noticeable as soon as you enter the shop. Maarten: "Research shows that people have about 6 to 7 recipes in mind. We also know that 60% of our clients buy vegetables. We play into this by suggesting new recipes. Meal ingredients are made up of fresh and shelf products. This is why we have brought these products together."

Marketing campaign at the shop's entrance

Stimulation

Coop consciously encourages clients to eat more fruit and vegetables. They, therefore, create marketing campaigns around this, says Maarten. On the other hand, Coop also want to prevent wastage by people buying too much. That is why they have loose products, so people have the option of choosing their own quantity.

A fridge next to non-refrigerated fruit and vegetables answers the question: "What will we eat today?"

Guarantee
Quality assurance of the Fruit and Vegetable department is Coop's main focus. The shelf life and the expected rate of sale always have to weighed up against each other. "I want our clients to become fans of our products. The client must never be disappointed", says Maarten. To ensure quality and lengthen shelf life, Coop is packaging more and more of its products. The reason for this is explained on the package.

The "best by" date, which are on all packaged products, is also an important guarantee. Coop adjusts this date, depending on the product's quality or when it was harvested. Products harvested at the beginning or end of the season are usually of poorer quality, and have a shorter shelf life. This means all the staff, even those with a lesser knowledge of Fruit and Vegetables, know when products need to be removed from the shelves. There are also, for quality reasons, more refrigerated products at Coop in order to extend their shelf life.

Every packaged product has a "best buy" date

Management
To manage the Fruit and Vegetable department well, in conjunction with supply chain partners, is very important. "I want to buy in terms of sustainability and set goals in conjunction with partners in the chain. I want to see consumers and farmers brought closer together in the future. That is why I am looking for farmers who want to grow with us. I really like it when farmers, who are concerned about their product, visit the shop." Heritage is also important to Maarten. "Our shop colour is not orange for nothing. If I have to choose between a Dutch or Spanish cauliflower, I will pick the Dutch one."

Packaging with explanation

Van Oers United
Van Oers United is an important partner of Coop. "They are the gathering point for growers who are experts in their field. They need to help us to do better because we do not have all the experts inhouse. Coop has an annual turnover of EUR 1.1 billion, and manages the whole fresh department with only a small group of people."

Coop is taking part in the National Fruit and Vegetable Action Plan's "Go for colour" national campaign

The Fruit and Vegetable stand where own quantities can be chosen

Soft fruit are a seasonal offer

Modern equipped shopping carts for children

Coop refrigerates more product in order to guarantee their quality

For more information
Coop
Maarten van 't Hof
Markweg 8
6883 JM Velp (Gld.)
T +31 (0) 267 999 701
M +31 (0) 621 561 114
www.coop.nl
Maarten.vanhetHof@coop.nl