What will the fresh produce department look like in the future?

What can we expect from retailers in the future, and how will they deal with fresh produce? How will they tempt customers? Will supermarkets only distinguish themselves in price, or will there be alternative ways of presenting fruit and vegetables to the audience? A quick overview.

Dutch retailer Albert Heijn is putting its money on fresh. “We basically take the fresh marketplace as a model for how we display food in the aisles. We want the customer to feel he’s on the market: he can taste the food, touch it, smell it,” says Category Manager Erik Vorenkamp. “In other words, we really consider the fruit and vegetable department as a place in itself, we set it apart from the rest of the store. Also, we’ll display an increased focus on local produce, such as asparagus, kale and cherry. We want to celebrate each season with a total of 130 products."

Discounter Lidl chooses simplicity as its campaign strategy. “Fresh and cheap, that’s our motto, and you can’t get any clearer than that,” says Séverine van Tuyll. “Why complicate it? Every day we endeavour to offer our customers the highest quality for the lowest price. This applies to our entire range. And an increasing preference for sustainable, organic produce, including fruit and vegetable products such as potatoes and bananas.” Independent research shows that Lidl consumes 50% less energy than the average supermarket. Also, the discounter (in cooperation with the Dutch Food Centre) implemented a monthly initiative to put healthy snacks such as tomatoes, small sweet peppers and cucumbers at the tills.

Dutch retailer Jumbo puts the customer first. Laura Valks: “We listen to them. If customers indicate they want more emphasis on fresh products, that is what we will do. If a certain type of packaging has a clear added value, such as protection or communication, we’ll pick that one. But attention will always be given to the needs of the customer."