Yzewyn & Co started in 1976 and is active in the wholesale business in Antwerp to this day. Business managers Franki, Benny and Tim Yzewyn are responsible for the daily responsibilities. "My grandfather started the business and it is still the hands of the Yzewyn family. As a family, we want to be close to the customer," tells Tim, who has been working in the business for 10 years. "Due to good relations, quality, service and honesty, we have grown step by step. We need to be able to look each other straight in the eyes. We would rather pay more for a product and have a satisfied customer than have lower quality and complaints."
Tim's grandfather Paul Yzewyn with his father's truck. Yzewyn has a full history and was originally started in 1905 by Jozef Yzwyn, who sold apples and pears. In 1956 Paul Yzewyn started with the first BVBA Yzewyn-Vlyminck.
"We were able to focus on better fresh shops due to our versatile range," continues Tim. "Butchers, caterers and other food businesses also buy from us. The trend that I have seen in the last few years is that there are more one-stop shops. Consumers want to buy all of their products in one go. Clients tend to have more money left for the right quality products. Our clients are located in Knokke, the Flemish Ardens, Antwerp and Brussels. We deliver to our customers daily with 8 to 10 lorries and delivery vehicles."
House brand Fresh Pack
"We have noticed that Butchers have been gradually growing in our client base," says the business manager. I saw the demand in the market around 5 years ago. They were wanting to offer fresh fruit and vegetables alongside meat. This was an easy way to ensure that they could guarantee quality and freshness. Up to the present day we can see that this group is growing. Fresh combinations are the future. It is a real convenience-market and every customer is served according to their needs. We often deliver our house brand, Fresh Pack, which we package ourselves. This target group likes to sell all of their products pre-packaged and we are able to supply them with that extra service. An example is the spring onion, which used to be sold loose and was consequently had a shorter shelf life. Now it is nicely packaged and our customers have fewer problems with waste. What makes us different from the rest and makes us strong is that we continue to look for new trends in the market." The young business owner sees growth in the modern media. "We have a company Facebook page and we get a lot of positive reactions from it. It is primarily the younger generation that uses social media but we have noticed that our 'friend group' is gradually increasing. We are currently busy with developing our website and our customers will be able to order their fresh products online in the near future."
Working together with butchers
Tim sees the threatening decline of businesses who offer the total concept of offering fresh and dry goods. "Examples are Metro and Deli XL, who offer complete food service. In order to stay competitive, we have started working with varied meat suppliers.Yzewyn & Co recently added new warehouses to make room for their growing selection. They also have some expansion plans for the future. We expect that the wholesale business will need to be renewed in the coming years. Freshness and service will continue to be our top priority. This is the base for satisfied customers," concludes Tim.
For more information:
Tim Yzewyn
Yzewyn & Co
Groothandelsmarkt Antwerpen
Tel: 0032 477 32 17 30
[email protected]
www.yzewyn.com