Times are tough in Europe. Being distinctive is, thus, vital for wholesalers. "Prices are rising everywhere. You can't really escape that, but you must be able to offer something exclusive," begins Ellen Sebrechts of the Belgian fresh produce trader with the same name.
For this Antwerp-based family business, distinction depends on several factors. "As a wholesaler, we focus on reliability, quality, and ensuring that, besides the full range, we also offer unique hard-to-find products and brands. Like the French assortment, which we started two months ago. Delicious products such as tomatoes, turnips, and beets are now in-season there. We recently had green clementines, red kiwis, the first greenhouse butter beans, and open-field chicory, too. So, there's something for everyone."
"These are quite pricey products, to begin with, but if you can offer those, customers will keep returning. Since supply is limited when these products get started, others often don't have them. Buyers can, thus, distinguish themselves with a slightly better, innovative range. Once they know that and they're looking for something specific or new, they know they can usually come to us. Once here, they take other fresh fruit and vegetables along. Within our segment, quality still trumps price," continues Ellen.
This is a selling point with which this almost 65-year-old business, one of the few family wholesalers in Flanders, made its name. "Our clients find keeping in personal contact increasingly important. That also gives us extra motivation. We work with many family businesses too, and one thing everyone in the industry has in common is the strange hours. Some of our clients get up at 1 am and return home at 4 pm. We often do the same. Then you have to love the business, or you won't last."
"Importantly, that creates a relationship of trust. Nowadays, about 60% of sales are made by phone or e-mail, and 40% of people come by to see the wares. Our customers then have to trust that we'll always deliver quality. Our company's family nature helps with that. When you call, one of us will always be on the line, and we buy everything ourselves. We always taste the strawberries we've selected before offering them to our buyers. That's how, over the years, we've built a reputation of always having fresh, daily produce," says Ellen.
Consumer-focused sales
That is one of the reasons why she is confident about the coming winter. "There's, of course, no denying that this winter will be very challenging for many. When a store's power bill is two or three times as expensive, they pass that increase on to consumers. But those people are already spending more carefully and price-consciously. So smart buying is needed."
"Otherwise, things can go wrong quickly. However, I think fruit and vegetables will always sell. People have to eat, after all. It's hard to say what sales will be like, but after the pandemic, we expect a nice year-end. More people may cook at home again because of the prices. Also, sales seem to pick up regardless because people need more nutritious food in the winter," Sebrechts says.
Still, she sees a significant contrast between store sales. "We're constantly explaining to our customers why, sometimes, quality and volumes are lower while prices keep climbing."
"That's because of higher cultivation and transportation costs. That means trucks and overseas containers must be full before they can leave," Ellen explains.
"Clients in relatively higher price segments can pass on the higher prices and will notice less difference in their sales. But, some stores that sell lower-priced goods are struggling with that. Then shoppers are more likely to look elsewhere."
Ellen also sees that younger people do choose fruit and vegetables, just not common varieties. "This age group cooks less and is, thus, less familiar with standard products. Who still makes their own traditional dishes like stew and fresh red cabbage? That takes a lot of time which no one has anymore. Variety, however, sells. You just have to introduce them to your product in a different way."
"So we send out daily promos. Sharing photos and recipes on social media plays an increasingly important role. First, that was mainly on Facebook, but nowadays, more and more on Instagram. We get lots of reactions there, partly thanks to mutual connections. It's an ideal way to showcase your product range and highlight new items. Plus, your customers can react and order right away," she continues,
Returning to seasons
Assortment-wise, this winter will be different from previous years for Sebrechts Groenten & Fruit. "There's significantly less Belgian and Dutch greenhouse produce, like tomatoes and strawberries. It seems we're returning to the seasons of old. We'll, therefore, also have to look to Spain for these products. However, things aren't easy there either. There were harvest problems and lower yields. I hope it's not too bad because else we'll genuinely have little to no supply and variety of certain products this winter."
The wholesaler will be focusing primarily on seasonal products. "We'll have to see what's available, moment-by-moment. Wholesalers have to keep renewing and keeping their range as complete as possible," Ellen says.
"As I said, people come to us when something's quite scarce or expensive. Currently, for example, local winter vegetables and Belgian apples and pears are returning in full force. Spanish citrus is starting to arrive again too. This is always a very nice period. The varieties follow each other rapidly and keep improving."
"With so much sun, this year's Clementines and Navelines are delicious. Finally, wild mushrooms are also worth mentioning. The game season has started, which includes these mushrooms, and they're selling well. During these times, everyone's in the same boat, and we're indeed scrambling to find supply. It's harder to find year-round supply, and quality takes precedence. Our family-owned wholesaler is then at an advantage, but it remains challenging," Ellen concludes.
For more information:
Ellen Sebrechts
Sebrechts Groenten & Fruit
Warehouse A1
4 Kielsbroek
2020, Antwerp, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 323 74 192
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sebrechtsfruit.be
