Amazon Europe is a subsidiary of Amazon, one of the world’s leading E-commerce platforms. The company is an online retailer and its European headquarter is located in Luxembourg.

Amazon entered Europe in 1998 by launching 2 E-commerce platforms in the UK and Germany. Nowadays, the company is recognised as one of the biggest e-commerce companies countrywide. Moreover, Amazon Europe is now present in many countries which include UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as well as Sweden which was established in 2020. The following year, Amazon Europe launched in, Poland.

Recently, Amazon has launched Amazon Prime in Luxembourg which is a payable service (monthly fee) that gives access to next day delivery as well as unlimited streaming. It was reported that Amazon Prime Video has nearly 5.96 million subscribers in the United Kingdom.

In addition, the firm also launched AmazonFresh, a food delivery service in Europe, starting from the UK in 2016, then Berlin, Potsdam and Hamburg a year later and finally in 2021,  Italy and Spain.

In 2017, Amazon Business, a marketplace, was established in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

Half of the items sold on Amazon's website are from SMEs that offer their products on Amazon Marketplace.

Moreover, Amazon Europe shipped over 1 billion items to its clients across the continent.

The company achieved a turnover of €44 billion in 2020. Currently, Amazon Europe employs over 250 000 persons and during the festive season when customers shop more, the company employs temporary staff in order to manage the warehouse effectively.

Amazon Europe has been awarded with the Top Employer 2021 certificate.

Amazon Europe offers various categories of products and wishes to partner with suppliers for the following categories:

• Sweet Grocery: chocolate, jams, cereals, etc
• Savory Grocery: oil, vinegar, pasta
• Drinks: water, juice, health and energy drinks.
• Personal Care:  baby care products, hair care, skin care, fragrances, etc

The company also sources products which are gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, organic, sugar-free and works with suppliers who abide by fair trade guidelines.

Amazon Europe has partnered with various brands which include L’Oreal, Dove, Nivea, Neom,LaVazza, Belvita, Doritos and Heinz.

The firm is sourcing products for its own labels for products such as herbs, crisps, ready-meals, oils, etc. The focus is on organic items. 

Amazon Europe has a network of 31 logistic centres across Europe.

Moreover, Amazon Europe is determined to promote sustainability as they launched the Frustration-Free packaging program. Through this action, it is easier for customers to remove their products from the packaging. Till date, this particular program has benefited the planet as over 50 million pounds of excess packaging has diminished.

Since the company has started to use double decker trucks rather than conventional trucks, they were able to reduce traffic by 250 runs a year thus reducing 40% of ejected gas emissions.

Glutee free was founded by 2 friends; Sabrina & Jessie. The former is a chef and the second is gluten sensitive. The duo launched Glutee free to provide Gourmet gluten free food which are also:

• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Corn free
• GMO free
• Vegan

The products includes all kinds of pastas:

• Penne
• Macaroni
• Fusilli
• Spaghetti
• Shells

As well as risottos, quinoa, and condiments such as: Truffle oil Olive oil Sea salt

Nitrazdroj can be defined as a food network within the wholesale and retail food sector in the Slovakian market. Owned by CBA, the general retail chains has over 500 collaborators and has its business activities across 8 towns in Slovakia.

The company is segmented into retail and discount stores wherein several ranges of products and brands can be found.

The products available at Nitrazdroj are comprised of:

• Chilled and fresh
• Grocery
• Frozen
• Dairy
• Drinks
• Personal care
• Organic

The supermarket chain provides brands such as:

• Dr Oatker
• Nutella
• Fa
• Maggi
• Tento
• Bambino
• Nescafé
• Pepsi
• Magnum
• Jack Daniels

The company also supports local companies hence local products also can be found on the shelves.

Founded by Miroslav Labas in 1992, Labas is known as the largest domestic food wholesaler in Slovakia. However, the company is engaged in retail operations as well. Labas is considered as a reliable partner for serving almost 3500 unique customers per year. 

Labas manages 33 stores under the FRESH Plus banner across the country. Moreover, the company operates an e-shop for its wholesale activities as well. 

In the financial year 2020, Labas achieved a turnover of € 301.20 million and employed around 1500 people. 

Labas provides a wide range of more than 8000 products of food and non-food assortment under the following categories: 

• Savoury grocery: canned goods, pasta, rice, etc. 
• Sweet grocery: chocolates, biscuits, coffee, etc. 
• Frozen: ice creams, meat, ready meals, etc. 
• Chilled & fresh: meat, soups, ready meals, etc. 
• Dairy: milk, cheese, butter, etc. 
• Drinks: juices, energy drinks, water, etc. 
• Wine & spirits: wines, gin, brandy, etc. 
• Personal care: deodorants, moisturisers, body wash, etc. 
• Household: detergents, toilet papers, air fresheners, etc. 

In addition, the company endorses multiple brands such as Chupa Chups, Nuk, Fa, Chardonnay and many others. It is noteworthy that Labas also offers an organic, bio, gluten free, lactose free, DIA and vegan assortment for consumers with specific food needs. 

Labas has developed its own brand in almost all product categories. The private labels are as follows: 

• Bio fresh 
• Fresh healthy living
• Fresh exclusive 
• Fresh 

Furthermore, Labas maintains the highest quality standards as it possesses certifications such as Eko-Kontrol SK and Tuv Sud ISO 22000.  

In relation to its logistics solutions, the firm operates 4 depots and its own fleet of vehicles as well. 

Concerning sustainability, Labas makes use of closing refrigeration products, LED lighting, heat recovery units and photovoltaic panels in its organisation. 

The firm’s online platform can be accessed on: https://shop.labas.sk/ 

Gastro Coop is an importer which has been established in the year 1991 and is headquartered in Galanta, Slovakia. The firm achieved a lot of success by introducing international brands on the Slovak market.

The importer’s products can be categorized as:

• Drinks
• Sweet grocery
• Savory grocery
• Household

Besides, the firm partnered with the following foreign suppliers:

• Hanwha Foods Hungary
• Natural Par
• Egri Csillagok
• Buda-Mont
• Microse
• Henkell & Sohnlein Hungaria Ltd
• Vitapress Ltd

In relation to the logistics network, the enterprise operates their own fleet of vehicles and freight forwarders.

In the financial year 2016, the company amounted a revenue of 4.25 million euros and employed 15 people to work for the success of the business.

Pannon food, was founded in 2004, and is today specialised in the retail sector with focus on food products mainly in the Slovak and Czech regions. The wholesaler also offers added value such as logistics and packaging as well as putting forward its own goods.

The food service has more than 2000 SKUs in its beverage and grocery departments as well as seasonal items. This includes ranges like:

• Drinks (alcoholic, non-alcoholic)
• Grocery (condiments, rice, confectionery)
• Chilled and fresh (delicatessens)

In addition, Pannon Food is in the import and export sector, distributing cold food across countries like;

• Slovakia
• Czech republic
• Austria
• Hungary

To support the whole logistics process, Pannon food uses its own tempered warehouses (3 in total) the biggest one being 14500 square meters and containing 25000 pallets.

The logistics includes services that follows:

• Storage
• Packaging
• Labelling
• Cross-docking
• Transportation

Pannon food directly works with suppliers from the following countries:

• Italy
• Spain
• France
• Austria
• Hungary
• Czech Republic
• Poland
• Germany
• Romania
• Bulgaria

The company also acts as a bridge to producers who wants their products to reach their partners. Trading has since been initiated outside Europe in countries like:

• Chile 
• Brazil
• China 

Furthermore, Pannon food is the representative pertaining to European winegrowing countries such as:

• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Hungary
• Romania

Pannon food distributes through supermarkets such as:

• Kaufland
• Coop
• Metro
• Tesco
• Billa
• Hypernova
• CBA

The products quality are measured by certificates like IFS. 

Moreover the food service distributes the national following brands:

• Unilever
• Poletti
• Cramel reccas
• Vitapress
• Birchsugar
• Exkes
• Coco 24
• Kras
• Disney
• Unica
• Stuhmer
• Tetrabbit
• Hohes C

Mansour Group is a retailer which has been established in the year 1992 by Loutfy Mansour. The headquarters is based in Cairo, Egypt. The company’s core business activities include manufacturing, distribution and retail.  

• Manufacturing - The company operates the Mansour manufacturing free zone factory based in Alexandria with an area of 13,000 square meters. The purpose of this factory is to manufacture cigarettes and tobacco through its own brands and international brands. The firm also acquired the Seclam dairy facility in Alexandria with an area of 33,000 square meters. A range of dairy products are manufactured. The Hayat factory based in Siwa Oasis, manufactures pure natural water.

• Distribution - All the distribution procedures are handled by the Al Mansour for trading & Distribution company. The distribution network allows the company to distribute its assortment of products to more than 21,000 retailers, 200 supermarkets and more than 1500 wholesalers.

• Retail - The firm operates its stores under the following banners: Metro, Mini-Metro, Kheir Zaman and fresh food market.

Mansour also exports its products to countries such as: USA, Canada, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Syria and many others.

The retailer cooperates with the following suppliers in order to satisfy the Egyptian market: Henkel, Ferrero Rocher, Loreal, Bonjorno and Red Bull.

Since the company fulfills the quality standards, Mansour achieved certificates such as ISO 9001, 22000, 18001 and HACCP.

Pertaining to the logistics solutions, Mansour operates 23 distribution centers with an area of more than 70,000 square meters.

In fact, the goal of the firm currently is to target 25% increase in market share in the automotive section in 2018. Also, the company is looking at the education, healthcare and food & beverages sectors so that it can identify successful businesses to introduce to the markets in which it has a strong presence.

Established in 1998, Metro markets Egypt is a retail chain headquartered in Cairo, Egypt. It is a subsidiary of Al Mansoor Trading group.  

Currently, it operates 48 stores as well as an online shop. 

The business achieves a turnover of €1.3 billion and employs more than 400 employees. 

Metro markets Egypt provides various products under different categories such as:     

• Savory grocery: pasta, rice, sandwich, etc.  
• Sweet grocery: chocolate, cookies, cakes, etc.
• Frozen: ice cream, fish, meat, etc.
• Fresh and chilled: fruits, vegetables, salmon, etc.
• Dairy: milk, butter, cheese, etc.
• Drinks: energy drinks, juice, water, etc.
• Household: detergents, fabric softeners, cleaning products, etc.
• Personal care: facial care, hair care, body care, etc.

It also offers organic products under different brands like:

• Isis: an extensive range of tea.
• Imtenan: turmeric powder, olive oil, peanut oil, etc.
• Rude health: a range of milk. 

Furthermore, it has developed its private label ‘Metro’ which consists of products like juice. olives, fries, pepper, salt and many more. 

It is important to know that the company aims to open over 96 stores worldwide.     

Regarding its logistics solutions,  Metro markets Egypt manages a central warehouse and its products are delivered by its own fleet of vehicles. 

Its online store can be accessed on: https://www.metro-markets.com/   

Sinounion Beijing International Trade is an importer of dairy products for the Chinese market. The aim is to cater for domestic customers in the long term.

Sinounion Beijing International Trade works with retail chains like Walmart, RT-Mart, Metro, Ole, etc. Sinounion Beijing International Trade distributes to around 800 point of sales. 

Sinounion Beijing International Trade achieved a turnover of € 6 million in 2016 and employs 15 people. 

 Sinounion Beijing International Trade imports dairy products from Europe. Some of the brands it offers are: 

• Unilac Holland: Netherlands dairy producer
• Grand’or
• Prestige: Dairy producer from Germany

Sinounion Beijing International Trade operates 1 warehouse and has its own delivery fleet. 

Agecore was founded in 2015 and is an alliance of 6 companies from different countries:

• Colruyt (Belgium)
• Conad (Italy)
• Coop (Switzerland)
• Edeka (Germany)
• Eroski (Spain)
• Intermarché (France)

These 6 companies have joined forces to form a new strategic alliance in Switzerland. The 6 purchasing groups are totally independent and account for a revenue of € 140 billion . The buying alliance is present in 12 European countries through 22,000 points of sale.

Agecore was created to respond to the emerging needs in Europe pertaining to food distribution. The alliance also enables the members to provide competitive prices to their customers.

Leon Vanlancker group manages the restaurant ‘Chez Leon’ which has become a reference in the Belgium cuisine. It is also the most important restaurant in the country with regards to revenues and collaborators.

The group was founded in 1893 and is specialised in ready meals and drinks. The company targets mainly the tourism market.

The group’s restaurant has developed into franchise and now counts 78 restaurants in France and has even establish itself in London.

Ibersol along with its subsidiaries is a company that manages restaurant chains in the following countries:

1. Portugal
2. Spain
3. Italy
4. Angola

The group’s core business are segmented into the following operations:

• Restaurants
• Counters
• Service areas
• Catering
• Airports
• Kiosks & concessions

Via a portfolio of brands, the company operates restaurant units:

• Pizza hut
• Pasta Caffé
• Pans & company
• Ribs
• FresCo
• SantaMaria
• KFC
• Burger king
• O’Kilo
• Roulotte
• Quiosques,
• Pizza Móvil,
• Miit
• Sol
• Sugestões e Opções
• Silva Carvalho Catering
• Palace Catering
• Coffe counters

Founded in 2010 in France by Gregory Clement, Michael Cohen and Rachid Ez-Zaidi, Bagel Corner is a chain of restaurants operating as a franchise. Bagel Corner menu is centered around bagels.

At present, Bagel Corner manages 47 restaurants and aims to open up to 100 restaurants by 2022 in France and 700 in Europe. 

Bagel Corner is also operating in Luxembourg and Belgium and aims to launch in the UK, Morocco and Scandinavia. 

Bagel Corner operates under the following formats:

• Full restaurants
• Kiosks 
• Shop-in-shop 

The kiosks and shop-in-shop restaurants can be found in malls, stations, airports, etc.

Bagel Corner has partnered with Galeries Lafayette, Google France and Accor Hotels to launch pop-up restaurants. 

In order to support its development, Bagel Corner has launched its own training centre in 2019. 

In 2019 Bagel Corner registered an increase of 37 % in its turnover. Bagel Corner was voted as one of the 5 Restaurant Franchises to closely follow in 2018. The Observatoire de la Franchise elected the company has the Brand with The Strongest Development in 2017. 

Bagel Corner has developed an extensive menu featuring organic and vegan products. The company publishes the list of allergens in each dish so that customers are aware of each product.

Bagel Corner is very selective when it comes to sourcing its ingredients. For instance, the business ensures that it purchases organic and fair trade certified coffee only. 

The restaurant chain is concerned about the environment and has taken several measures to reduce its carbon footprint. Customers’ orders are delivered by foot or by bicycle. All cleaning products are eco-friendly and 88% of its packaging is made from recyclable materials. The business has partnered with NGOs like Too Good To Go and Phenix.

UPDATES ON BAGEL CORNER ON 03/02/2021

For 2021, Bagel Corner is interested in products in the frozen food category such as desserts, bakery, snacking, ice-cream, etc. The company is looking for branded products as well as products for private labels.

Founded by Alexander Scharf in 1959, Scharf Group is a food service company specialised in the coffee and catering sector. Its headquarters is based in Neustadt, Austria. Over the years, the business developed and expanded its activity range into espresso machines. From 2021, Scharf Group transferred its business activities to TQSR Group. 

Scharf Group operates the international Scharf Academy where employees are trained. Besides, the firm manages more than 160 coffee shops worldwide. 

Moreover, in 1980, the company received the “national coat of arms” award by the Ministry of Commerce. It is the official award of the Republic of Austria which is considered as the highest award that a company in Austria can receive from the government. 

Scharf Group provides a range of products in the following categories: 

• Chilled & fresh: coffee, chocolate latte, tea, etc. 
• Soft drinks: lemonade, syrups, creamy shakes, etc. 
• Sweet grocery: hot sauces and coffee. 

It is noteworthy that the firm provides sugar-free and organic products for consumers with specific food needs. 

Furthermore, Scharf Group maintains the highest quality standards as its products are certified by renowned independent international institutes and research laboratories. 

Scharf Group sources its coffee directly from farmers, guaranteeing the highest coffee quality.

Founded in 1987, Robert’s coffee can be defined as Coffee roaster and café chain of Finnish origin. A first coffee shop opened its doors in 1992 in Helsinki and over the years the company expanded hance having over 100 Roberts Coffee Shops. The food service is even present in countries such as:

• Finland
• Sweden
• Estonia
• Turkey
• Japan

The company plans to establish in more countries. Presently the company counts approximately 20 coffee shops franchisees and over 400 baristas.

The company also has an ice cream factory (Robert’s coffee gelato factory) where ice of different flavours are made and then sold at Roberts’s coffee points of sale.

Etqa is a wholesaler which has been established in 2008 and is headquartered in Stochowa, Poland. The firm provides its services in the HoReCa sector.

Etqa’s turnover grew by 15.3% in 2018, reaching € 16.4 million. 

The wholesaler provides a wide assortment of goods which can be categorized for instance as:

• Dairy: cheese, milk, yoghurt, etc.

• Sweet grocery: tea, cake, bread, etc.

• Savory grocery: pasta, ketchup, oils, etc.

• Drinks: soft drinks, juices, water, etc.

• Chilled & fresh food: soups, delicatessens, etc.

• Frozen food: fruits & vegetables, fish, pizza, etc.

Furthermore,the wholesaler gained partnership with various companies and some of the partners are listed below:

• Abel

• Abramczyk

• Adrian

• Ag foods

• Unilever

• Nestle

• Diamant     

The firm operates its own fleet of vehicles hence controlling the storage and flow goods. Etqa is constantly improving its fleet to be constantly effective. 2 distribution centers are owned by the wholesaler.      

Founded in 1991, Speed rabbit pizza is a French restaurant chain specialised in pizza. The company also provides resources for a person to create his or her own franchised pizza shop. Speed rabbit pizza provides only products which are not genetically modified.

Its product assortment includes:

• Pizza
• Salads
• Pastas
• Desserts
• Drinks

Presently the restaurant chain can be found mainly across in Ile de france (66), totalising 120 locations in France.

Founded in 1990 by Alain Coumont in Belgium, Le Pain Quotidien is a chain of bakeries that offers a wide range of breakfast, lunch and dine-in options. Furthermore, the company also has a catering service whether it's for small or large groups.

Initially selling a range of breads, the firm has expanded its range to feature coffee beverages, pastries, salads, etc. 

Le Pain Quotidien opened its first shop in the US in 1997. Nowadays, the company has set up its headquarters in New York and has opened bakeries in various countries including Brazil, Argentina, India, Chile, etc. 

By 2018, Le Pain Quotidien had opened 98 shops in the US.

Le Pain Quotidien achieved a turnover of € 158 million in 2018. 

Le Pain Quotidien is known for its extensive range of products that feature organic ingredients. In fact, the company sources chicken which is GAP, free-range and organic certified. 

Le Pain Quotidien also publishes its list of allergens for each dish in order to help customers in choosing appropriate meals based on their dietary restrictions. 

Founded in 1992, Eurest Hungary is managed by Compass group. Eurest is known for its catering services which can be found in various institution types such as:

• Hospitals
• Offices
• Educational organisation
• Social institutions
• Factories
• Sports facilities
• Older people institutions

The firm is able to serve 25,000,000 guests yearly and 40,000 portion of hot food a day. To put forward their food and services quality, Eurest owns the following certifications:

• ISO 9001
• ISO 14001
• ISO 22000
• OHSAS 18001

Services they provide are segmented into 2:

1. Meals
2. Facility management

Meals includes the following components:

Restaurants, cafés, in room service and event organisation, breakfast organisation, pantry, moving buffet, machine operation, food delivery, guidance and investment.

While facility management is composed of the following services:

• Horticulture
• Outdoor cleaning
• Internal cleaning
• Technical operation
• Plant care
• Reception service
• Posting
• Waste management

Latin American Distributor Group handles the importation, distribution, and marketing of various food products. The firm is based in the United States and was founded in 2017. Latin American Distributor Group helps different brands enter new markets throughout Latin America.

Latin American Distributor Group’s clients include wholesalers, distributors, tobacconists, etc.  

The company’s products can be divided into the following categories:

• Drinks: a variety of drinks
• Savory Grocery: snacks, sauces, condiments, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: a range of sweet snacks and confectionery
• Dairy: an assortment of dairy products
• Frozen Food: a range of ready-meals and other frozen products

Some of the brands available include Roland, Angela Mia, Hunt’s, Kari, etc. 

Products are imported from the US, Spain, China, Peru, Chile, etc. 

Concerning the logistics, the firm works with third party shipping companies to import and export products. Latin American Distributor also operates its own distribution centre in Barranquilla Port. 

CIPA is known as an importer of general goods. Founded in 1992, the company has grown to be a reference in the purchase, sale and wholesale of food. The company’s network lies from domestic to foreign suppliers. The headquarters is based in Prague, Czech Republic. The firm provides its services in the HoReCa and retail sector. 

The importer provides a portfolio of more than 3000 SKUs under the following categories:

• Savory grocery
• Sweet grocery
• Chilled & fresh
• Frozen

The firm also operates a Cipa Store where delicious food from around the world are available at reasonable prices.

Some examples of world foods are as follows:

• Meat from the United States
• Lobster from Canada
• Tuna from Sri Lanka
• Lamb from Australia & New Zealand

The brands the importer works with, can be found below:

• Bonduelle
• D’amico
• Vittel
• Open seas
• Heinz
• Bridor
• Amacore
• Anova
• Etc

Their clients are composed of over 2000 hotels and restaurants in both Czech republic and Slovakia such as:

• Hilton hotel
• Four seasons
• Alchymist
• NH
• Keminsky
• Marriot
• Intercontinental
• Hotel Ventana
• Hotel Diplomat
• Kampa group
• Finestra
• Sasazu
• Oysters bar
• Buddha bar
• Grosetto group
• Argentina house
• Vini di vino
• Etc

Furthermore 10% of the importer’s revenue comes from other clients like Macro, Kaufland, Carrefour etc.

Having a dedicated team for purchase, the distribution is effectively done by their own transport means. In fact, CIPA has 25 fleets catering for Czech republic and Slovakia. 

In the financial year 2017, the company generated a total turnover of 18.4 million euros. The firm has a dedicated entrepreneurial team of 75 employees working towards the ultimate goal of the business.

Szega Foods is an importer which was established in 1998 and is headquartered in Diosd, Hungary. Prior to that, in 1994 the company traded as a cheese store. Szega Foods offers over 3000 references. 

Szega Foods offers its services in the HoReCa and retail sector. The firm sources its products from almost 15 European countries. Szega Foods’s clients include Tesco, Spar, Metro, Coop, Auchan, CBA, Real, etc. 

As of 2012, the company started export activities and exclusive representation in Croatia and to offer more confectionary products after acquiring Multikon Ltd.In 2018, the company achieved a turnover of € 6.97 million. The firm has a dedicated entrepreneurial team of 24 employees working towards the ultimate goal of the business. 

Szega retail is composed of 2 stores located in Budapest while Szega wholesale occupies the distribution process to trading chains (over 200).

Szega foods operates the following subsidiaries: 

• Szega Camembert: Chilled and frozen goods sold to hungarian retail chains
• Szega Market: logistics and administration
• Szega Sajt Sonka:retailing
• Szega Dalmacija: croatian subsidiary
• Multikon: grocery sold to hungarian market

The importer offers products in the following categories: 

• Frozen Food: desserts, fish, meat, bakery, ice cream, etc.
• Chilled & Fresh Food: meat, fish, pates, cold cuts, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: ambient desserts, sugar, bakery products, etc. 
• Savory Grocery: ready-meals, condiments,soups, nuts, cooking sauces, etc.
• Dairy: cheese, yoghurts, butter, desserts, margarine

The importer has developed its private labels and also deals with the following brands: Kerrygold, Biraghi, Entremont, Valio, Sacla and Ajinomoto.

Szega Foods is looking to partner with various brands but in Hungary itself, the company is looking for suppliers who can provide the company with products for its private labels.

The logistics processes are taken care of by Szega foods. which is IFS certified. The company has its own vehicles which can transport products in the proper conditions. 

Since 2004, Szega Foods operates its own logistic center which allows it to store products in the proper conditions. The warehouse can handle room temperature as well as chilled and frozen items.

The logistic centre meets the standards established by HACCP, BBQ, AQAP, ISO IFS. Furthermore, Szega Foods has its own fleet of delivery vehicles. 

In 2010, Szega Foods launched its slicing and packing plant which meet EU requirements. 

UPDATES ON SZEGA FOODS ON 23/09/2020

Szega Foods is looking for products in the following categories for  2020: 

• Dairy: yogurts, desserts, cheeses, butter, margarine, etc. 

The firm is interested in branded items as well as products for private labels.

UPDATES ON SZEGA FOODS ON 28/10/2020

For 2020, Szega Foods is sourcing products in the following categories:

• Savory Grocery: herbs, spices, rice, soups, snacks, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: ambient desserts, chocolate, sweets, etc. 

Szega Foods is looking for branded products and products for private labels. 

UPDATES ON SZEGA FOODS ON 21/01/2021

For 2021 Szega Foods is sourcing products for frozen food such as fish and seafood. THe company is focussed on sourcing salmon products such as smoked and filet salmon.

Szega Foods is interested in both branded products and products for private labels. 

König-trade is an importer which has been established in the year 1995 and is headquartered in Balmazujvaros, Hungary. The company is indulged in import and export activities.

The product categories include:

• Savory grocery
• Sweet grocery
• Frozen
• Chilled & fresh
• Dairy

Various brands such as Arrighi, Carchelejo, Vallejo, Ahmad tea, etc,.. are provided by the importer.

The firm’s distributes their products to well-known general retail chains such as Tesco, Auchan, Metro, Coop, Real, etc.

Since the company fulfills the quality standards, Konig-trade achieved numerous certificates such as ISO 9001:2001, ISO 9001:2009 and HACCP.

In relation to the logistics solutions, the firm operates a warehouse measuring 6000 square meters and their fleet of 30 trucks.

In the financial year 2017, the company amounted a revenue of 8 million euros. The total workforce of the firm is 42 employees.  

Reaton is a Latvian importer, distributor, wholesaler and retailer founded in 1993. The company is a leader in the high quality food trade sector in Latvia. It started expanding to the Baltic market in 2000. Reaton provides complex products to the Lithuanian and Estonian markets. The enterprise has an online store where all of its products are available. It is headquartered in Riga.

Reaton operates 2 branches named Reaton UAB and Reaton OU. Reaton UAB is situated in Vilnius and was launched in the year 2000. Five years later, Reaton OU was established in Tallinn.

Reaton offers over 4500 references in different food categories. The firm also provides about 250 organic references. Reaton adds approximately 150 references to its product portfolio each year.

Reaton’s clients consist of local retailers, large grocery chains, supermarket chains and the HoReCa sector such as Stockmann, RIMI Baltic, Maxima, SKY Baltic, Prisma, IKI, Top and many more. Reaton supplies 3500 HoReCa customers on a regular basis. In addition, the company is a market leader in the HoReCa sector with 30 years of experience.

Furthermore, Reaton handles meal preparation and individual order fulfillment at its factory. The firm offers facilities such as filing, vacuuming, grinding, re packing and many more. 

Reaton provides marketing support and offers various brand development programs to its customers.

 The company frequently organises educational seminars and events for professionals in the industry.

Reaton is also present in the construction industry.

Reaton achieved a turnover of € 53.27 million in 2019, which rose by 10% compared to a year earlier. The company’s team currently consists of 431 employees.

The company is also considered as one of the top seafood suppliers in Latvia.

Reaton provides various items in the following food categories:

• Savory Grocery: oil, vinegar, bread, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: cakes, jams, cookies, etc.
• Fresh and Chilled Food: ready-made meals, fresh seafood, and many more.
• Drinks: water, juices and many more.
• Dairy: cheese, yoghurt, fat blend, etc.
• Frozen Food: pizzas, vegetables, seafood, etc.

Realton also freatures lactose free and gluten free products.

Reaton received numerous certifications from FARMED, FRIEND OF THE SEA, WILD FISH, NORGE and many more, for the high quality of the raw material of the workshop’s product. Its food production and processing plant is ASC and MSC certified.

Reaton brings in its products through various brands such as Kanaki, Delicius, Casademont, De Cecco, etc. The enterprise deals with brands like BelSun, Risso, Brimi, Walkers, St Michel, and many more. 

Furthermore, Reaton also operates its private labels, Rseafood & Rseafood Gold. It manufactures the highest quality of fresh seafood products that is produced using the finest raw materials available worldwide. The private labels offers products such as fish in light brine, boiled octopus, and many others.  

These products are brought in from 90 different countries which are as follows: Korea, Australia, Thailand, Brazil, Belgium, etc.

Reaton currently operates 2 extensive warehouse complexes and a fleet of refrigerated vehicles. One warehouse is situated in Vilius and the second one was opened in 2020 in Riga. The new warehouse is furnished with the latest technology; It consists of 5 temperature zones in an area of 5000 m2. 

Reaton is looking for companies that are interested to develop prospects in the Baltic markets.

The company avoids using freon as refrigerant in an attempt to stay eco friendly. All plastic containers and packaging are replaced with green options such as dishes made of sugarcane fibres, koka, paper, bamboo, etc.

Reaton is the main sponsor in the Latvian Chef of the Year. It is also the initiator of the travelling award Reaton Golden Chef.

The online store can be easily accessed on this website: www.e-food.reaton.lv

Marathon Distribution Group is a wholesaler which was established in 1991 by Levent Atin and Aifun Suliman. Its headquarters is based in Bucharest, Romania. The company operates 16 branches across the country. 

With regards to its distribution channels, the business distributes its products to the retail and HoReCa sector as well. Some of its clients are KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Carrefour, Kaufland, Selgros, Auchan, Billa, Lidl, Metro and many others. 

In the financial year 2020, Marathon Distribution Group achieved a turnover of € 113 million and currently employs more than 700 people. 

Furthermore, the firm offers a selection of over 3,500 references in the following categories: 

• Frozen: potatoes, pastry, meat, etc. 
• Savoury grocery: vinegars, oils, salt, etc. 
• Sweet grocery: chocolates, coffee, tea, etc. 
• Dairy: butter, yoghurts, cream cheese, etc. 

Moreover, the wholesaler distributes over 400 references in its own brand “Olympia” which contains natural ingredients.   

In addition, the business maintains the highest quality standards as it is certified by ISO 9001, ISO 22000, IFS and MSC. 

Pertaining to its logistics solutions, Marathon Distribution Group operates 2 distribution centres and has a fleet of over 550 cars to manage its deliveries. 

Concerning the community, the firm distributes hot meals to needy people via the Marathon Welfare Association. 

Moreover, in 2021, the company introduced a new vehicle fleet of Citroen Dispatch XL vans to conduct its deliveries. As a result, the vehicles are larger and has an increased payload and cubic capacity. 

Shanghai Yonghui Yunchuang Zhongcheng Network Technology is a subsidiary of Yonghui superstores a retail group based in China. The company is specialised in supply chain and logistics services, dealing with all fresh produce of Yonghui superstores.

It was recently announced that Tencent an investment company, will have 15% stake in Yonghui supply chain and logistics.

Froz China is a company specialised in exporting frozen products to china. The company is also focussed on outsourcing commercial aspects for the Chinese market in terms of:

• Communication
• Strategic development
• Prospecting and portfolio management of prospects or clients
• Human resource (intercultural)
• Distribution network management
• Logistic management

In fact, Froz china supports all aspects related to brand implementation on the Chinese market.

Froz China provides the following advantages:

• Its own logistic system
• Multicultural team
• Showroom
• Distribution network across China
• Tailor made business solutions

Moreover their network is composed of the following channels:

• Internet (Amazon, JD.com)
• Retail (Walmart, Auchan, City shop, CIty super)
• Food service (Hilton, Hyaat)
• TV Shopping (Happi) 

Ryba Zilina is an importer founded in 1992 and based in Slovakia. Ryba Zilina’s focus is on the distribution of frozen goods. The company has been under the ownership of Preto Group since 2013. Ryba Zilina and Preto Group also founded Preto Ryba, one of the largest producers of fish and salads in Slovakia. 

The importer’s client base covers the HoReCa sector, traditional market, national and international retail chains in Slovakia. 

Furthermore, the company is also a major distributor of frozen goods such as frozen fish, frozen vegetables, semi-finished products, meat products, etc. 

Ryba Zilina has also been exporting products to countries like Czech Republic and the UK. 

With a workforce of around 86 people, the firm achieved a turnover of € 73.08 million in 2020. 

Additionally, Ryba Zilina won the Slovak Superbrands Award in 2017 and 2018.

Several items are offered in the following categories:

• Frozen Food: seafood, vegetables, meat products, etc.
• Chilled & Fresh Food: salads, etc.

A line of vegan products is also available.   

Several products are offered under its private labels and those developed under Preto Group:

• Preto Ryba Zilina: fish products, fish salads, etc.
• Preto: cold salads, spreads
• Radoma: frozen fish, soup, ice cream, mayonnaise and frozen vegetables  

The items are certified under the BRC GLOBAL STANDARD certificate for FOOD SAFETY ISSUE 7 as well as ISO 9001 quality certificate.

Moreover, Ryba Zilina uses 40% less additives in the manufacturing of its cod products under the brand Preto. Moreover, the company has stopped using sodium benzoate and is using less preservatives.

The company is looking for products in the following categories:

• Frozen Food: desserts, ice cream, seafood, Startere, fruits & vegetables, meat,ready meals, etc.
• Dairy: eggs and many more
• Chilled & Fresh Food: ready meals, and many more

In addition, Ryba Zilina is looking for brands but is also seeking suppliers for its private labels.

With regards to logistics, the firm has recently rebuilt its facility where it packs Alaskan cod which it sources from the North Pacific ocean. In relation to the supply chain, Pretolog has a modern fleet of vehicles conducting deliveries for Ryba Zilina throughout Slovakia.

Fega frost  is a frozen importer whose activity started in 2001 in Slovakia. Indeed the company is mainly in the distribution field pertaining to frozen and cold foods. Its products are comprised of brands like:

• Ardo
• McCain
• Lambweston
• Algida

The products are distributed through 40 vehicles which are fully equipped in terms of storage and refrigeration needs. Since 2011, the company has expanded its activity range by starting to produce its own frozen semi-finished products known under the private label:

1. Misove skary
2. Misny eel

The product ranges include the following:

• Frozen
• Chilled and fresh
• Dairy
• Grocery

Founded in 2014 by Davide Toffoli, Naturali Food is based in the UK. The firm is a distributor of Italian brands of food and non-food items for retailers, offering the largest selection of Italian grocery products in the UK.  

The company also operates an online platform, Naturali Italian Distribution, in the UK. 

In 2017, Naturali Food started to venture into the international market by opening a division in Ukraine. Nowadays, the group also operates in Russia, Italy, India, Poland and the Baltic region. Its clients include Auchan, Metro, Novus, Tesco, etc.

Currently, the company employs around 15 people and achieves an annual turnover of around €5.03 million. 

Various products are available in the following categories:

• Drinks: water, soft drinks, beer, etc
• Wine & Spirits:  wine, spirits, rum, etc
• Dairy: an assortment of cheese
• Chilled & Fresh Food: salad, packaged sandwiches, fresh soups, etc
• Sweet Grocery: sweets, confectionery, breakfast cereals, etc.
• Savoury Grocery: canned foods, pasta, etc.

A range of organic, vegan, and dairy-free items is also offered. 

Naturali Food offers products from brands like Donell, Inalpi, Garrone, Tre Marie, etc. 

Furthermore, Naturali Food is sourcing products for various categories:

• Savoury Grocery: herbs, spices, rice, pasta, pulses, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: sweet canned food, biscuits, chocolates, etc.
• Dairy: cheese, milk, cream, margarine, butter, etc.
• Frozen Food: desserts, ice-cream, fish, ready-meals, drinks, etc. 

For the drinks category, Naturali Foods is looking for various beverages but is focussing on wine, beer, sugar-free beverages and mineral water.

In the savoury grocery category, Naturali Foods is looking for different products and is especially sourcing pasta sauces. 

Naturali Food is also looking for vegan ready-meals for the frozen food category. 

Furthermore, Naturali Food is looking for branded items as well as suppliers for private labels.

The Drinkshop.com was founded in 1999 and is specialised in drinks. Indeed, the company is an online shop providing a vast drink assortment.

The drinks assortment includes:

• Beers
• Wines
• Spirits
• Gifts
• Barwares
• Soft drinks

The online shop is used by 10,000 customers including corporate customers. The company is also the supplier of the HoReCa sectors across the United Kingdom.

The clients can choose from more than 6000 SKUs having brands like:

• Red leg
• Gosset
• Camden
• Pills - Hellas
• Fentimans & hollows
• Metaxa
• Cayo grande
• Einstok
• Keo

Clients who deal with drinkshop.com are as follows:

• BSkyB
• Microsoft
• Sony
• Cisco
• Diageo
• Barclays
• K Swiss
• Virgin Records

Bistrocash is a drinks wholesaler with 6 stores across France. Its products are meant for the HoReCa sector. The stores also help the client to meet various Bistrocash’s suppliers. The new products are put forward and tasting before sale can also be performed.

The drink wholesaler provides a portfolio of brands:

• Granini
• El jimidor
• Lipton
• Johnnie walker
• Russian standard
• Jim beam
• Bulleit bourbon
• Sauza
• Monkey shoulder

Bisto cash is also the first to provide a website dedicated to drinks sale to professionals. The purchaser can choose among 2600 references, pre-order the products and take their products with the help of Bistrocash’s team.

The suppliers on the other side has a private access whereby they can provide informations on their products and present new products, following which they can view their sale statistics.

Bistro cash presently provides 600 basic references and 2000 SKUs. These includes 350 beers and 100 in barrels. The company is expanding its product category by starting to include:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Chocolate
• Milk powder

The firm also proposes small equipments and consumables.

Distriboissons is a network of 145 drinks wholesalers based in France. The company offers around 1400 references. Furthermore the business also creates drinks menus and handles events operations.

Distriboissons works with Distech to offer professional training courses such as logistics and marketing of drinks..

Distriboissons has around 60000 clients in the HoReCa sector. The firm’s clients include Accor Hotels, SNCF, Barriere, Best Western, etc. 

Distriboissons reached a turnover of € 990 million in 2015. 

Distriboissons offers products in the following categories:

• Drinks: soft drinks, wine, beer, etc.

• Sweet Grocery: a range of coffee products 

Distriboissons also offers products from brands like Filol, Francette, Gianello Caffe, etc.

Distriboissons has developed its own brand, Open Beer which is a brand of specialty beer. 

Concerning the logistics, Distriboissons operates 147 warehouses and a logistics platform network. The firm also has a fleet of 1000 delivery vehicles.

Professional dairy importer.

Types of clients: Retailers, e-commerce, catering

Figures: 348M RMB sales revenue in 2016

The leading foodservice provider, Eurest Poland is a proud subsidiary of the International Compass Group which has over 70 years of expertise in the restaurant and catering services. The company was founded in 1993 (Poland), and has approximately over 900 employees. Its aim is to become world-class contract food services, which is why it strives towards healthy eating lifestyle and flexibility towards food delivery.

Eurest Poland offers high standard of food quality which meets the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Hygiene Practice (GHP), and follows the HACCP system. Consequently, it has attracted many customers from office buildings, industrial plants, educational institutions and hospitals. Currently it serves over 25,000 dinners on a daily basis.

     The company excels in providing a wide range of dining services, notably:

• Sandwich to desk service
• Breakfast and coffee service
• Restaurant and kitchen management
• Catering services for business meetings, conferences, banquets and team bonding event
• Nutrition in schools and hospitals

     In addition, the food service provider assists in:

• Minor maintenance and repair
• Designing kitchen facilities and dining area
• Green areas maintenance
• Potted flowers maintenance
• Service desk and mailroom
• Advising on the form of co-financing meals

Plodine can be described as a retail group in Croatia. Having a chain of supermarkets across the country to be closer to its customers, Plodine also provides a wide food range focussing on budgeted items.

Already boasting 81 points of sale, the company has expanded quickly since its foundation in 1993. Combining different product range and customer service, the retail chain continues its full expansion. Indeed Plodine’s food accounts for 65% of the products while non-food accounts for 35%.

Plodine has also developed its own brand under the name Plodine which consists of more than 700 SKUs as well as the following categories:

• Sweet grocery
• Savory grocery
• Chilled and fresh
• Drinks
• Bazar
• Household

Some of their other own brands are as follows:

• Dix - cleaning detergent brand
• Softy - toilet paper or rolls as well as liquid detergent
• Evergreen - aromatic teas
• Friends - pet food
• The valley - dairy products
• B&B - sweet grocery items
• Gric - salty snacks & chips
• Barba - frozen seafood
• Frizo - frozen vegetables
• Esens - personal care
• Campo - canned food
• Fresh garden - canned food and condiments
• Green fields - pickled food

Doctor’s associate is the food service that operates under the Subway brand. Founded in 1965, the food service has operations across the world offering food and catering menus.

The company also offers franchise opportunities and is based Connecticut. In fact, the American fast food has 45,000 stores. Having established their presence in over 100 countries among which more than half can be found in the United States.

Subway also offers catering services which are categorised into:

1. Catering menu
2. Catering planning

The catering menu is composed of the following ranges:

• Classic combo platter - 15 portions of sandwich combination made up of ham, turkey breast, tuna, and italian BMT
• Flavor craver platter - 15 portions of roast beef, italian BMT and tuna
• Subway fresh fit platter - 15 portions of ham, turkey breast, subway club and roast beef
• Giant subs - either 3 foot or 6 foot
• Subway to go meals - individual meal that includes one 6 inch sub with side chips or apple slice and cookie
• Desserts - baked cookies platter, including flavors of oatmeal & raisins, chocolate chip, white chip macadamia nut

The company markets its products though its private label under the same name i.e Subway and also serves other international brands.

Globally Subway is one of the largest single brand fast food chain in the world. The first store was opened in 1968 and is now present across the globe. Each franchise must give 8% of their revenue to Doctor’s Associates.

Subway is a franchised restaurant specialised in submarine sandwiches and salads. Subway is present through approximately 2000 stores in the United Kingdom.

The firm achieved a turnover of €575 million in 2016.

Their menu offers a wide choice including:

• Breakfast
• Side drinks & extras
• Salads
• Bread
• Toppings

The quick service restaurant plans to have 3000 stores in both the United Kingdom and Ireland by 2020. Moreover the 2500th store was recently opened in the United Kingdom which has strengthen the latter’s position on the market.

A subsidiary of the UAB Gelsva, Sakalas has been among the strongest integrated distribution service providers in Vilnius, Lithuania. Gelsva was created in 1991 specialising in import, wholesale trade and distribution service worldwide. In 2012, the company allocated its distribution part to Sakalas UAB, which works with more than 100 renowned global brands like: Perfetti Van Melle, Storck, Dilmah, Insette, Philips and many more.

The company has 5 departments located in major cities of Lithuania, namely: Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panevezys, and Siauliai. It has 2 distribution centres in Vilnius and Klaipeda.

Its products are divided into 2 categories, notably Food (food, soft; coffee; energy drinks and spirits), and Non-Food (pet products; health and beauty; laundry and household). It has about 6000 sales points, including: retail chains, household chains, pharmacies, hygiene stores, petrol stations, press, office supplies chains, and HoReCa (hotel/restaurant/cafe).

Sakalas UAB aims to function in a professional way and believes in providing excellent customer service. It strives for innovative work process, in order to meet market changes.

It is always seeking to maintain long-term relationships and close cooperation with partners and customers. It specialises in sales and distribution services, whereby it manages supply contracts, orders, the introduction of goods at sales points, sales promotion plans and its implementation. In terms of logistics, it handles: transportation and storage of goods, residue management, goods preparation for domestic market (label preparation, layouts with printing services). Marketing wise, it deals with the organization and coordination of advertising and sales campaigns, communications and brand image, customer support, preparing reports, analysis and pricing.

Merchandising is also part of their services which includes: optimal covering of sales points, goods management in view to targeted objectives/seasonal aspects/shares, and also the distribution and control of goods.

The company uses technology and innovation for its day to day tasks, such as:

• Mobile Business System for workflow planning and management through mobile devices;

• QlikView for modern analytical system to provide quick and accurate statistics/report;

• Perfect DSM for efficient transport tracking and management of real-time;

Equinox Vision for modern warehouse management system, which ensures quick, smooth and accurate logistics services.

Owned by the Stuart family since the 1960s,  Pimpernel Wharf is an experienced company in the procurement and importation of delicatessen products including continental cheeses, edible oils, antipasti and charcuterie. Pimpernel Wharf is based in Surrey, UK. The company has become a pioneer in supplying cheese and meat products across UK to its clients which include major supermarket chains, food manufacturers, food service, restaurant groups and wholesalers. 

Pimpernel Wharf is able to accommodate both large and small orders based on what each client requires. 

In 2016, Pimpernel Wharf attained a turnover of € 21 million. 10 people are employed by the company. 

Pimpernel Wharf offers products in the following categories:

• Dairy: Continental cheese, feta, goat's cheese, hard cheese, mozzarella, reduced fat cheese, soft cheese, speciality cheese, etc. 

• Chilled & Fresh Food: charcuterie, etc. 

• Savory Grocery: edible oils, etc.

Pimpernel Wharf imports cheese from suppliers in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, France and Germany. 

The company has 4 distribution centres, notably in UK, Germany, France and Italy. Its logistics are controlled and streamlined by its own in-house transport manager. Pimpernel Wharf believes in using its resources as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible, and thus have consolidation points in Europe and the UK. This arrangement is done to manage the stock internally when the product is not transported directly from the supplier.

Concerning the sourcing of products, Pimpernel Wharf has a well defined procurement process which has proven to be reliable. When a product is needed, the procurement team will receive a request and act upon it by first identifying the suppliers based on specific criteria such as logistics, volume, accreditation, etc. 

Once the suppliers are shortlisted, the prices are reviewed. Products are tested by the team and a pre-technical visit is organised with the suppliers in order to see whether all the requirements of the client can be met. Suggestions are also brought forward at this point to improve the products.

Samples are sent and the final specifications and modifications are decided after consulting the client’s product development team and the suppliers. All the commercial and technical procedures are carried out and finally, the product is supplied Via Pimpernel Wharf. 

UPDATES ON PIMPERNEL WHARF ON 15/01/2020

For 2020, the focus is on the dairy category. The firm is looking for various types of cheese such as traditional cheese from different parts of Europe. Pimpernel Wharf is also sourcing for dairy-free alternatives. 

Pimpernel Wharf is also interested in ready meals in the savory grocery category. 

For the Chilled & Fresh Food category, the business is looking for charcuterie, etc. 

Pimpernel Wharf is looking for brands but also for suppliers that produce products for their clients' private labels. 

Kon-rad, founded in 1990 in Slovakia, started operating as a wholesaler of food and drinks before offering non-food products as well. The company is reputed for a large product portfolio offering 7000 references.

Kon-rad supplies approximately 2000 clients worldwide. The firm’s clients include retail chains, petrol stations and businesses in the HoReCa sector. Furthermore, Kon-Rad also runs 3 supermarkets.

Kon-rad achieved a turnover of € 55.3 million in 2018 and employs 200 people.

The company offers products in various categories:

• Drinks: non-alcoholic drinks, beer, wine, healthy drinks, etc.

• Sweet Grocery: sugar, confectionary, tea, coffee, etc.

• Savory Grocery: canned food, snacks, petfood, spices, etc.

• Dairy: cheese, milk, cream, butter, margarine, eggs, etc.

• Chilled & Fresh food: charcuterie, sausage, etc.

• Frozen Food: meat, vegetables, ice cream, etc.

• Dairy-free: soy milk, coconut milk, rice drinks, etc. 

Some of the brands it distributes include Laurent Perrier, Zdravo, Turm, Roshen,Radical Organics, Cauvin, Guiness, Cocomax and more. 

The company handles its own logistics and stocks its products. The warehouse, along with the sales area have a total floor area of  25000 square meters.

Founded in 1995 by Renée Elliott and based in the UK, Planet Organic is a retailer that offers organic foods to the community in order to promote health. The company is currently the UK's largest fully certified organic supermarket and offers more than 8,000 products. 

Additionally, Planet Organic acquired the company, As Nature Intended in 2020. The acquired stores will be renamed to Planet Organic, which will then elevate the total number of stores that the company has across the country. 

The company also owns an online store, planetorganic.com. 

Furthermore, in 2020, the firm entered a partnership with the delivery company, Supper. 

Planet Organic achieved a turnover of € 47.95 million in 2020 and employed 411 employees. 

Planet organic supports the healthy eating concept and is perceived as a specialist in its sector by customers and its national suppliers. Currently Planet Organic provides various products under the following categories:

• Savory grocery: snacks, sauces, spices, etc
• Sweet grocery: desserts, cereals, chocolates, etc 
• Drinks: coconut water, juices, water, etc
• Wine & Spirits: wines, spirits, and many more.
• Dairy Free: vegan mozzarella, vegan smoked cheese, dairy free-almond cheese, etc
• Personal care: vitamins, minerals, skincare, etc
• Meat free: a range of vegan and organic meat substitutes is available
• Homecare: detergents, cleaning supplies, cleaning accessories, etc

Brands such as Attitude, Cheeky Panda, Clear Spring, Fushi, Inika, etc, are also offered. 

Planet Organic also offers several products such as breakfast, snacks, ingredients, plant milks, etc, under its own brand, Planet organic. The latter provides a unique range of organic and vegan health foods.

The company has even launched a concept based on unpackaged products which focuses on ecology and encourages clients to use their own food container. The organic foods are manufactured with no artificial flavourings and preservatives. As the company follows a healthy trend, Planet Organic recently launched their Vegan shop.  

Planet Organic has implemented a retail enterprise suite through specialist IT provider ITIM. Through this technology, the firm is able to process transactions instantly and efficiently.

The online shop can be accessed at: www.planet-organic.com

Founded in 2002, Mixed Global Trade is an importer and distributor of fast moving consumer goods. It is headquartered in Qingdao, China. 

Regarding its distribution channels, it supplies restaurants, chain shops, hotels, etc. The business has set up long-term cooperative relations with WalMart, Carrefour, Suning, Gome, BAILIAN GROUP, WU MART, Alibaba, JD, Radio, Television Group, 7-ELEVEN, etc. 

The company has built 66 offices in the 28 provinces of China and presently owns over 400 sales experts in the Group.

Mixed Global Trade provides different services including:

• Marketing
• Product Selection 
• Trademark
• Pricing

It has recently worked with Tencent, Youku, iQIYI, DIANPING, Ctrip, capital airport in launching commercial ads, and supporting sales.

Moreover, it is looking forward to upgrading its supply chain as well as expanding its sales and in addition, Mixed Global trade is interested in adapting its core business functions to the fast changing market demand. 

As an online foreign trading company, China-Hong Kong General Trade Integration Service Platform provides warehousing and logistics features. Operating under the China Hong-Kong stock connect group, it has a large portfolio of foreign trade clients.

The said clients deals with China-Hong Kong General Trade Integration Service Platform for the following services:

• Import food credit
• Cross border electricity supplier
• Logistics supply chain
• Product showcase

Import food credit is meant for food importers having financing needs and at the same time China-Hong Kong General Trade Integration Service Platform will cater for their products needing tempered storage.

The cross border electricity supplier is all about customs inspection, clearance and similar services. While the logistics supply chain refers to a platform including shipping solutions being set up to provide adequate services to companies.

Product showcase as the name states, refers to creating a platform providing an online and offline product display.

The importer has 688 foreign trade enterprises (home) and 76 suppliers (home) which results in 37728 million dollars (United States) of trade volume.

Founded in 1996 by Luciano Almendary, Allfood is an importer specialized in the distribution of haute cuisine food items. 60% of the company has been owned by Granarolo Group since 2017. Its head office is situated in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In 2016, Allfood  launched its e-commerce website.

The importer has over 300 references in its portfolio, of which 48% comes from Italy.

Regarding its clientele, Allfood partners with delicatessen, retail chains, businesses in the horeca sector and individual retailers in the Brazilian market. Some examples of its customers are Auchan and Carrefour.

Allfood organizes tastings, events, congresses as well as lectures in the gastronomy in order to market its products. Additionally, the firm advertises its references in supermarkets, emporiums and on social media.

A turnover of €16.9 million was achieved by Allfood and its private labels make up ⅓ of it.

A wide range of products are available in the following categories:

• Dairy: cheese and butter
• Fresh & Chilled: charcuterie
• Savory Grocery: pasta

More than 40 brands such as Granarolo, Paysan Breton, Beemster, Emborg, etc, are imported from several countries including Italy, Spain and France.

Furthermore, Allfood owns several private labels which are mentioned below:

• Vito Balducci: offers ready-made meals and pasta
• Casa Basca: provides Spanish sausages and ham
• Figueiras: supplies Portuguese ham, cheese and sausages
• Monastère: offers French cheeses and butter
• D'or: cold cuts and cheese that are famous in Brazil are manufactured

Concerning logistics, Allfood manages an industrial unit, equipped with modern machines and technologies for food preservation and fractionation, where cheeses and cold cuts are processed. Its distribution center of 2000 m2 is located in the East Zone of São Paulo. Allfood also manages a competent distribution network which covers the entire country.

Its online shop can be accessed on https://www.lojagranarolo.com.br/

The TST Tin’s Secret is a renowned Asian cosmetic trademark founded in 1996  by Taiwanese celebrity Kevin Lin and his Chinese wife, actress Zhang Ting. Previously, known as ‘Lafee’, the creation of Tst Tin’s Secret was inspired from the tremendous beneficial effect of yeast liquid ZB (a living yeast) which is the main ingredient of the TST Tin’s Secret skincare products.

This type of product is very appreciated in the Asian countries due to its wide range of beauty benefits. The company dedicates in researching and exploring into a deeper way of skincare ingredients by using technology such as high-tech ultra-micron infiltration. With its new series of products the company is always looking for innovations by working with a number of domestic and foreign research institutions. Consideration is always given to pregnant women’s best choice of skin care products without causing any health issue.

In order to reach maximum consumers, the company has endorsed several Asian celebrities such as Tao Hong, Xu Zheng and Lin Ruiyang to launch their new series, which is claimed to be successful so far. Several agents are also recruited in view to make the skin care products more accessible to people. The agents are not required to invest or stock up, since the products are directly delivered by the company which reduces sale and inventory pressure. TST Tin’s Secret has an online shopping store (http://shop.49477.com/), mobile application and a self-purchase order facility for customers. In addition, it has a beauty blog where beauty tips and advices are given.

A seafood importer established in 2010 in Denmark, Food With  You is known to always be on the lookout for new products. 

By constantly providing innovative food items, Food With You has been able to partner with different clients in Scandinavia such as retailers, wholesalers, catering wholesalers as well as various retail chains in Europe. Some of them include Coop and Dansk supermarkets.

Food With you achieves an annual turnover of €3.26 million and employs 19 people.

Products in the following categories are provided by Food With You:

• Chilled & Fresh Food: smoked fish and seafood
• Frozen Food: seafood

Organic foods are also part of its range.

With the capacity to launch private labels and create tailor made designs for the packaging, Food With You has proven to be a great partner for its clients. For the packaging there are various options. Products can be packed in map (modified atmosphere), vacuum and or skin pack to maintain durability and quality. It is noteworthy that, majority of its raw materials are bought by the company itself in order to secure fixed contract prices.

Suppliers must hold an IFS or BRC certificate or any equivalent if they wish to collaborate with Food With You. Furthermore, Food with You requires companies to have the MSC, ASC and Glocal Gap certificates. 

Moreover, Food With You also carries out hygiene and quality inspections on its own to ensure that the products it sources are of top quality. Regular taste tests are carried out weekly, comparing Food With You’s products with its competitors’ products. 

Food With You has partnered with Varefakta which makes sure that all products conform to the legal requirements of each country. 

For the logistics, Food With You operates a warehouse in Denmark and handles the logistics matters for its clients.

Funky Veggie is an importer which was established in 2016 by Camille Azoulal and Adrien Decastille.  Funky Veggie is found in Paris, France. The firm promotes healthy eating  and hence all the products that are provided are vegan.

Funky Veggie distributes to 1000 stores from clients including Franprix, Monoprix, Carrefour, Auchan, etc. 

The firm achieved a turnover of € 104000 in 2017 and employs 7 people. 

Funky Veggie launched its products under the private label, Funky Veggie. These products include:

• L’Apero Boules: organic and natural snacks made out of chickpeas
• Coeur de Boule: sweet snacks made out of dates and nuts
• La Boule: snacks made out of nuts and dates which contain less than 100 calories

Funky Veggie’s products are free from artificial coloring and are gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan. The products have a shelf life of 6 months. Funky Veggie has also expressed in interest introducing breakfast and aperitifs products to its private label.

Funky Veggie operates 1 warehouse. 

Funky Veggie’s snack balls are stored in food-grade polypropylene and packaging cases are made from recycled cardboard. 

Funky Veggie has shown an interest in the welfare of disabled people and works with an ESAT, an organisation allowing disabled persons to work. Around 20 disabled people are employed to package these products. 

Funky Veggie’s online shop can be accessed on www.funkyveggie.fr

UPDATES ON FUNKY VEGGIE ON 02/09/2020

Funky Veggie is aiming to provide organic products for its entire range in the future and has announced in 2019 that it will introduce a savory snack ball under its private label. The business is also planning to expand its team. 

Since the beginning of 2019, Funky Veggie has been selling over 30000 snack balls each month. 

Funky Veggie is looking for products for its private label in the following categories:

• Savory Grocery: crisps, snacks, nuts, flour, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: ambient desserts, biscuits, breakfast cereals, etc. 

Established in 1989 under the name Okman, the company was renamed Tokmanni in 1991, which has developed into the largest discount store chain in Finland. 

Tokmanni ended the year 2021 with 196 stores alongside 4,105 employees and with a turnover of €1.142 million.

In 2011, the business opened its first online store.   

 It offers a variety of products under different categories such as:

• Savory grocery: Flour, pasta, rice, etc.
• Sweet grocery: Cookies, chocolate, waffles, etc.
• Fresh and chilled: fruits, salmon, vegetables, etc.
• Frozen: Meat, fish, vegetables, etc.
• Dairy: Milk, butter, eggs, etc.
• Drinks: Fizzy drinks, juice, water, etc.
• Household: Floor detergents, kitchen paper, toilet paper, etc. 
• Personal care: Conditioner shampoo, toothbrush etc. 
• Wine and spirits: Wine, beer, ciders, etc. 

Tokmanni works with different brands such as: 

• Knorr: snack pots, sauce ingredients, soups, etc.
• Refiner: salmon soup, meatballs, cream sauce, stews, etc. 
• BLÅ band: french onion soup(gluten free), mexican stew, ready-made indian curries, etc.

One of their private label brands is ‘The Pisara skin menu product line’ which consists of shower gels, liquid soaps, hand creams and body lotions. 

These products are RSPO certified raw materials derived from palm oil. Tokmanni takes into account its ecological, social and economic aspects.    

Concerning its logistics, in the year 2008, the business moved to a new logistics area in Mäntsälä.

When it comes to sustainability, the retail chain’s goal is to be carbon negative by 2025.

Link to Tokmanni’s online store: https://www.tokmanni.fi/

Steinhoff is a global retailer with over 12,000 stores in more than 30 countries providing even an online shopping space. Providing daily products at competitive prices, the retail group deals mainly with brands. In fact, the products are classified into general goods and household items.

The firm also supports retail stores and has a good supply chain as well as 2.5 million sqaure meters of warehouse spaces. Moreover, the company has 26 manufacturing plants and 150,000 containers are shipped annually.

Furthermore, some of its distribution channels include the following:

• Harveys
• Poundland
• Pep & co
• Poco
• Conforama

Steinhoff has operations in 4 continents, providing a portfolio of retail brands;

• Best & less
• Dunns
• Flash
• Harris Scarfe
• John Craig
• Mozi
• etc

The retail group invested in its African chains so as to be on a higher level with regards to developed market businesses. In 2017, the group noticed a 48% increase in the group’s sales resulting to 14.9 billion euros. In terms of geographic revenue segmentation, Europe ended with 52% which means 737 million euros of sales, Africa with 27% representing 4 billion euros, the United States had 15% entitled with 2.2 billion euros and 6% (1 billion euros for Australasia).

Poundland is a discount retailer which founded in April 1990 by Dave Dodd and Steven Smith who came up with a successful concept of  selling its products for  £1 through its 900 stores across Europe. However, the company decided to sell its products costing more than £1 from the mid 2010s onwards.

Its first store was opened in the Octagon centre, Burton with 624 products, and today Poundland sells a range of about 3500 products of which 1000 are branded products with the majority being food and drink. The retail company has expanded into the mainland Europe (Ireland; Isle of Man) under the name of Dealz, and currently is part of the Steinhoff International family operating in Australasia, Africa and the United States, besides Europe.

Its product stock is divided into 3 categories described as: Ongoing core lines (products bought direct from the manufacturer), seasonal ranges or clearance stock, whereby 10,000 new products are featured annually. Its product categories include: food & drink; health & beauty; home & pet; leisure & entertainment; leisure & entertainment; toys; stationery & crafts; party & celebrations.

The food & drink section consists of grocery, sweets & snacks, soft drinks, chocolate, cakes, biscuits and hot drinks. Health & beauty has make-up gallery, haircare, toiletries, healthcare, dental, baby, beauty & skincare. The home & pet section includes: back to uni kitchen( food preparation tableware, etc), around the home (storage, home accessories), household accessories, pets & animals, and cleaning. The leisure & entertainment consists of DIY, entertainment, batteries CDs, DVDs (A-Z & by genre), toys, play & learn, dolls & figures, soft toys, disney frozen, star wars. Some of the brands that the company sells are: Kelloggs, Nestle, Belvita, Uncle Ben’s Express/Special, Felizzano, Malibu products, Colgate, Pedigree, Tommy Walsh, just to mention a few.  Additionally, it has its own private label known as ‘Twin Peaks’ Chocolate bar.

To meet its operational difficulties, Poundland has an office in Hong Kong in view to support product sourcing and operations in UK. It has a distribution centre of a 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2). In 2016, it was observed that approximately 7 million customers (mostly working class females) shopped in Poundland every week. It is also interesting to note that the company was named as ‘Discount Retailer of the Year’ in 2015.

Thomas Ridley is a food wholesaler in the United Kingdom. Serving mainly the catering industry, Thomas Ridley is the supplier to a portfolio of clients. Founded in 1808, the British wholesaler provides various product categories such as:

• Chilled & fresh
• Frozen
• Savory Grocery
• Sweet Grocery
• Drinks
• Household

Moreover, the company has also started to include gluten free as well as specialty products in its assortment.

Over the years, the company has begun to distribute several brands including Tilda, Celtic marches, Bacardi, bd foods, bounty, wrapmaster, wrights, wyke etc.

Presently, Thomas Ridley presents itself as the supplier of the following business food services:

• Catering
• Education
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Hotels
• Restaurants

The company has also access to the retail sector with the acquisition of local and regional range in reference to delis, garden centres, farms cafés and farm shops.

In 2015, a year after acquiring Elveden Fine food and Taste of Anglia, the wholesaler opened up a local distribution center in Kent to boost its sales. This also enabled more deliveries in that region. The company also provided a fleet of trucks for the same distribution center. With the opening of this new distribution center, they aim to reach 70 million pounds of turnover. 

According to better wholesaling, Thomas Ridley has service levels attaining 99.6% with 130,000 products weekly and even hitting 100% in busy periods like Christmas. The wholesaler has also implemented the click & collect service for the cash and carry customers  which accounts for 4% of the business revenues.

Ledo Montenegro is part of Ledo, the largest producer and distributor of industrial ice cream and frozen foods in South Central Europe. Ledo Montenegro is owned by Fortenova Group (which was previously known as Agrokor). The business started operating in 1965 when the ice-cream plant, Ledo, was established in Croatia.  .

Furthermore, Ledo Montenegro has clients such as Voli, HD Lakovic, Aroma, etc, and occupies more than 2,000 points of sale. 

In 2006, the company took over Montenegrin ice cream brand, Sun.

Currently, Ledo Montenegro employs 91 people.

Several products are available in the frozen food category such as ice cream, seafood, pastries, dough, ready meals, meat, etc.

Ledo Montenegro endorses brands which include Tiger, Macho, King, etc.  

Moreover, the firm has certificates such as HACCP,  BRC, IFS, Kosher, ISO 9001:2008, etc.  

Concerning the logistics, Ledo Montenegro manages 2500 refrigeration units all over Montenegro as well as 30 new refrigerated trucks with the latest IT equipment.

Additionally, Ledo Montenegro is interested in products for the frozen food category. The company is looking for brands as well as suppliers who can cater for Ledo Montenegro’s private labels. 

Unilever was founded in 1929 as a merger between Margarine Unie and Lever Sunlight. The company is part of Unilever Worldwide which owns numerous brands and made a turnover of €53.7 billion in 2017. Unilever’s brands are consumed by more than 2.5 billion people in the world everyday. The firm sells to over 200 countries in America, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Unilever Netherlands represents around 40 famous brands and the company has over 3100 employees in the Netherlands. The firm has launched several brands in various product categories.

In addition to this, the company has set up a large research laboratory in the country which respects all the international standards. Unilever also owns an international food service company known as Unilever Food Solutions. This company supplies products to hotels, restaurants, caters and other professionals in the food service industry.

Unilever is also concerned about the environment and uses recycled materials for its packaging and avoids the use of plastic whenever possible.

The company is looking for suppliers for its private label under the personal care, sweet grocery, savory grocery, frozen food, chilled and fresh foods and drinks categories. It also works with other companies selling their own brands.

For the personal care category, the company offers skin care, hair care and oral care products.

Under the frozen food category, Unilever sells a range of ice-creams and under the savory grocery category, the company offers products such as snacks, condiments and soups.

For the drinks category, Unilever sells a range of iced teas and other products.

Under the chilled and fresh food category, the company is looking for suppliers of products such as sausages, burgers and bacon.

The company expects suppliers to abide by law and regulations concerning the quality and content of the products. Unilever also sets high standards which are constantly reviewed to ensure that the products remain of an excellent quality.

Founded in 1993 by Angelika and Wiktor Sawosz, Brand Distribution Group deals with the import, export and distribution of quality products and service on the market. Its headquarters is based in Warsaw, Poland. 

Specialised in the FMCG sector, Brand Distribution Group is in the top 10 European leaders as FMCG distributors. 

Presently, the company has 6 offices located in Warsaw, Bialystok in Poland, Germany, Great Britain, Spain and Singapore. 

Brand Distribution Group’s clientele include domestic supermarket chains, international chain stores, wholesale dealers, distributors and the Horeca sector as well. Some of its clients are Tesco, Carrefour, Auchan, Zabka, Fresh market, etc. Moreover, the firm operates an online purchasing platform where customers can buy 24 hours a day. 

In the financial year 2020, Brand Distribution Group achieved a turnover of € 14.7 million. 

Furthermore, the importer won the “Debut of the Year” award in the annual “Golden Hundred of Enterprises in Podlasie” ranking in 2022. 

The imported products are available in several categories which are as follows: 

• Sweet grocery: coffee, sweets, chocolates, etc. 
• Savoury grocery: biscuits and snacks. 
• Frozen: a variety of ice creams. 
• Drinks: juices, water, syrups, etc. 
• Personal care: shower gels, deodorants, shampoos, etc. 
• Household: detergents, toilet papers, dishwashing liquids, etc. 

Brand Distribution Group endorses international FMCG brands such as Caprisun, Lenor, Nutella, Nivea, Jacobs, etc. 

Additionally, the firm offers its private label products which are as follows (not limited to): 

• Triumf: a brand of eco-friendly detergents. 
• Voll: a line of modern laundry detergents. 
• Di puro: a brand of cleaning wet wipes. 

In relation to its logistics solutions, the company operates 2 high storage warehouses with a total area of 5000m2. The deliveries are conducted via reliable and verified subcontractors and Brand Distribution Group also offers road, maritime and air transport services. Additionally, it has a new information system (ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning) and takes care of labelling, stickering, and packaging services.

Currently, the objective of the company is to establish an international holding company to coordinate the work of all its companies by 2025. 

The group’s online platform can be accessed on: https://bd24.pl/ 

Regal is a general importer which is based in Shanghai, China. The main purpose of the company is brand management. For brand marketing purposes, trade fairs are organised by the firm. Moreover, the products are mainly imported from Europe.

The importer distributes the products in the following regions:

• Beijing
• Northern china
• Southern china
• Central china
• Shanghai
• Shenzhen

Normally, the firm supplies to more than 1000 points of sales but the main clients are:

• JD
• Metro
• City shop
• City super
• Ole

Moreover, the importer provides its services in various sectors such as:  

• HoReCa - Shangri-La, The Ritz-Carlton, Four seasons, Hilton, Intercontinental hotels group, Starwood, Marriott, St Regis, Hyatt, Westin, Starbucks, Costa coffee, etc…
• E-commerce - JD.com, Amazon.cn, Cofco, VIP.com, etc…
• Retail (FMCG) - Metro, Carrefour, Auchan, Walmart, Vanguard, Ole, lifestyle market, etc...

In relation to the logistics management, the firm rented warehouses and fleet of vehicles for the smooth running of the supply chain.

In fact, the aim of the company is to maintain trade relations and fulfill the requirements of its clients in the operated sectors. 

Paul is a globally known French company brand specialised in baking and selling breads as well as pastries even industrial ones. The Paul network includes over 673 points of sale. Founded in 1889 in France, the business is operated by the Group Holder which is a French agribusiness. The Group Holder has also developed Ladurée pastry brand run by David Holder and Château Blanc, an industrial bakery.

Moreover, the presence of the company extends to more than 34 countries across 5 continents. These include hundreds of shops of different sizes

To maintain products freshness, frozen precooked dough can be cooked during the day as per consumers demands.

The year 2015 witnessed the florishment of the food service’s turnover and increased to 28.7 million pounds. The particular year, 4 bakeries were opened as well as a second restaurant in London. The percentage of revenue growth which is 6.3% is stated to be above market trading.

In 2015, Famous brands and Paul bakeries agreed on a partnership which resulted in Famous brands having an exclusive licence agreement  hence becoming Paul’s South African Licenced Partner for 10 years.

The group saw its turnover increase by 12.3% in 2016 resulting to 32.3 million pounds.

Meanwhile the group continues to refurbish its stores and develop its product ranges as well as central bakery aiming for customers loyalty

Paul UK operates as a subsidiary of Paul foodservice. The company is a French company but can be found in other countries as well. In fact, it was initiated in London in 2000. Paul is known as a producer and supplier of bakery products providing different products such as bread, pastries, platters, viennoiserie, cakes, tarts etc. It also extends its activity range by supplying the catering sector including:

• Corporate meetings
• Parties
• Special occasions

Presently, the United Kingdom counts 36 shops located mainly in Central London. In 2016, Paul UK experienced an increase in its turnover and revenue. Indeed with an increase of 12.3%, the turnover attained 32.3 million pounds.

Recently 2 new bakeries emerged in Notting Hill Gate and Earl’s court and plans of 5 more outlets are to be seen, following the refurbishment of 11 stores.

Bagelstein is a specialist in bagels production which was founded in 2011 by Thierry Veil and Gilles Abecassis when its first store was established in Strasbourg, France. An online store is also run by the company.

Bagelstein is present in 7 countries across Europe, such as Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, etc.

The company has 3 production workshops supplying the franchise stores with bagels. In 2021, Bagelstein inaugurated a 17m² kiosk of “ready-to-sell” products. 

On a daily basis, approximately 18 251 bagels are made by Bagelstein’s bakers.

A wide choice of bagels are prepared in the Bagelstein’s stores which are freshly available for consumption and they are classified as: Isidore, Henriette, Hypolite, Leontine, and many more. Some of the bagels come with cream cheese, dried tomato, salmon, yoghurt, and many other stuffings. These varieties are ideal for different tastes and the bagel specialist also caters for mini bagels on demand with different flavours.

Currently, Bagelstein employs a total of 284 people and achieves an annual turnover of around € 3 million. 

The firm was elected Best Sandwich Shop of the Year in 2021. 

Various products are offered in the following categories: 

• Sweet Grocery: brownies, donuts, cookies, etc
• Savory Grocery: chips and others
• Drinks: tea, coffee, juice, etc
• Chilled & Fresh Food:  fruit salads, burgers, soup, etc 

Furthermore, the bagels offered in the shops are without preservatives. 

Bagelstein owns a private label, Bagelstein coffee, under which several coffee products are offered.

All poultry products provided by Bagelstein come from suppliers which comply with the European Chicken Commitment’s requirements. 100% of Bagelstein’s egg products will come from alternative breeding to cages in 2025.

In addition, Bagelstein partnered with third party delivery companies such as Delivaroo, Uber Eats and Juice Eat to home deliver its orders. 

The company aims to open 20 new stores in 2022. 

Bagelstein’s online store can be accessed on www.bagelstein.com   

Comedus is an importer which has been established in the year 2017 and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. The firm is focused on evolving food concepts and working with transparency.

The company provides high quality products with natural ingredients and no additives. The core products category is savory grocery and the firm offers their own brands which are known as:

• Sovs by max - Condiments are the specialty of this brand.
• Suppe by max - Soups are sold under this name.
• Fond by max - This brand is composed of condiments.

The firm distributes their products to general and discount retail chains such as Superbrugsen, Netto, Meny, Bilka, Føtex and Rema 1000.

Spécialités du Monde forms part of the three major European delicatessen groups, namely the Fleury Michon from France, Beretta from Italy, and Casademont from Spain-altogether, they made a partnership in 2008.

The company deals with wholesale trade (B2B) of meat products, whereby it imports from Western Europe (Spain and Italy) and export in Belgium. The company is in constant search of partnership, currently it has about 15 manufacturers across the world coming from Italy, Spain, America, and North Africa.

One of its product range consists of bacon which are available as roasted, cooked, dried raw, smoked and salted ham. There are also smoked, dry and cooked sausages. These products are exported under the brands of its partners, including private labels. Additionally, it also provides imported or manufactured antipasti.

Some of its clients are the retail customers and out of home catering, whereby 60% of its production is reserved for self-service and 40% for traditional retail stores. It is interesting to point out that 45% of its business consists of supporting retailers in their private label needs.

Fresh & Co, subsidiary of the Socopra group, provides chilled and frozen products. With various locations in Ile de France, the firm can carry out an average of 600 deliveries weekly with its 12 trucks.

The company has a dedicated team which keeps up with latest trends in different countries. The company imports products from the original countries following selected criterias and tests in the firm’s laboratories.

To ensure the products’ quality, the company makes use of certifications like:

• ISO 9002
• ISO 9001

The food concept revolves around world foods under the name:

• American flavors - Food from the United States and United Kingdom such as burgers, steaks and typical English delicacies
• Made in France - French meat (terroir) as well as delicatessens
• Spice & Tasty - Latin countries food such as tacos, italian cheeses, guacamole etc

Hainan is popularly known as an airline company founded in 1993 which was initially a local aviation company and now is a conglomerate covering units like :

• Aviation
• Holdings
• Capital Tourism
• Logistics

The company’s principal business activities includes merchandise wholesaling and retailing. The importer distributes products such as jewelry, cosmetics, home appliances, electrical equipments, etc,.. in supermarkets and department stores. The firm does not only provide their services in wholesale and retail sector but also in property business and financial businesses. Most of their business activities are conducted in the northwest of China, North China and Central China.

The assets of the company accounts for more than 600 billion Yuan with 11 listed companies.

The retail distribution segment covers 33 provinces in 7 regions which includes 1374 chain stores of NCS, 500,000 franchises of ACFSMC and 340 shopping malls and supermarkets.

Concerning its products, the company has 600 brands from NCS and 11 logistics centers as well as an e-commerce platform. The logistic centers are located in 18 provinces including 2 cold chain logistic companies.

Furthermore, the conglomerate has a food processing unit, providing premium food items to offline stores as well as online ones.

The firm’s target for the next 5 years include merging 1-2 import & export companies and fostering 2 listed companies which diversify in supply chain.

Currently, the firm employs 450 people to work towards the goal of the business.

Convergence Achats is an importer for the HoReCa sector. Launched in 2002, the business sources food and beverages for its clients in the HoReCa sector. Convergence Achats is owned by Groupe Flo and Disney Land Paris. 

What was initially supposed to be only a purchasing group gradually became a service provider as well. Indeed, the firm now expands its services to menu modification, client orientation to a particular product type and even packaging and tableware.

Convergence Achats’s clients include Relais & Château, Partouche, HD DInners, Planet Sushi, Berresto, etc. 

Each year Convergence Achats purchases products for a value of € 220 million. The firm organises tastings and product presentations at its clients restaurants. 

In 2018, Concergence Achats reached a turnover of € 3.2 million. 

Convergence Achats offers products in the following categories:

• Sweet Grocery
• Savoury Grocery
• Chilled & Fresh Food
• Dairy
• Frozen Food

Concerning logistic measures, Convergence Achats since 2016, has been working on a better platform with the support of different partners to find the most suitable one. Their partnership with France Frais has helped in economic gain with regards to clients and suppliers proximity hence a better service quality. Nowadays, Convergence Achats handles over 6000 deliveries each week.

Convergence Achats sources products from various parts of the world. There are experienced buyers who are specialised in each category and who have a good knowledge of the market and distribution channels. 

Convergence Achats works with over 600 suppliers.

In order to make sure that quality standards are maintained, Convergence Achats has its own hygiene and quality department which regularly inspect the suppliers’ facilities. Furthermore an independent laboratory audits the suppliers. 

Dixy Group is a retailer which has been established in the year 1992 and is headquartered in Moscow, Russia. The company operates 2703 stores in 753 locations of the country. The retail area is about 930000 square meters. It is noteworthy that the firm is ranked 4th in terms of revenue among retailers in Russia.

The store formats of Dixy are as follows:

• Convenience stores (accounts for 80% of revenue + retail space)
• Supermarkets (accounts for 13% of revenue)
• Hypermarkets (accounts for 7% of revenue)

The products categories include:

• Savory grocery
• Sweet grocery
• Chilled & fresh
• Frozen
• Dairy
• Drinks

Pertaining to their supply chain, the company operates their distribution centers and their own fleet of trucks hence ensuring the flow of goods.

Vladex is recognised as a wholesaler in the Netherlands. Founded in 2001, Vladex initially dealt only with 2 major clients : United Nation Missions and Military bases. Following its expansion, the wholesaler's activities stretched to ship supply and wholesaling of food and non-food products.

Nowadays, Vladex has a portfolio of clients such as wholesalers, supermarket chains, ship chandlers, oil and gas platforms and food services transactioning with military operations.

In 2015, Vladex was acquired by Salvo Grima Group from Malta, after which the company developed further.

Vladex achieved a turnover of € 1.4 million in 2019 and employed 12 people.

Vladex provides products under the following categories: 

• Savoury Grocery
• Drinks
• Sweet Grocery
• Dairy 
• Personal Care
• Household

Vladex also provides internationally recognised brands such as: Coca-cola, Kelloggs, Lux, Mars etc.

The firm’s private labels include Valleydays and Rossoro both dealing in the grocery categories.

Established in 1993, Bingo is a supermarket chain in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The business operates 215 stores across the country and also provides an online shop. 

Its turnover is more than €700 million and it employs more than 8,500 employees.

The retail chain offers a variety of products under different categories: 

• Savory grocery: pasta, macaroni, bread, etc.
• Sweet grocery: chocolate, waffles, chewing gum, etc. 
• Fresh and chilled: Fruits, fish, soups, etc.
• Frozen: Meat, vegetables, ready made pizzas, etc.
• Dairy: Milk, butter, yogurt, etc.
• Drinks: Soft drinks, juice, water, etc.
• Household: Laundry detergents, kitchen towels, toilet paper, etc.
• Personal care: Conditioner, shampoo, dental care, etc.
• Wine and spirits: Whiskey, Beer, Wine, etc. 

Bingo has developed its private label under the name Bingo such as its bakery which consists of bread, croissants, cakes and a butcher department with products such as: fresh meat, lamb, pork, etc. 

Bingo markets other famous brands such as: Dove, arix, vegeta, belvita and many more. 

When it comes to sustainability, Bingo is the co-founder of the non-profit packaging waste management company “Eco Life” and also create projects that raise environmental awareness. 

Link to Bingo’s online shop: https://onlineshop.ba 

Founded in 2015, Transgourmet Poland is a foodservice distributor operating in the Polish market. Its headquarters is based in Poznan, Poland. The company is a subsidiary of Transgourmet Holding AG. 

Concerning its distribution channels, the business distributes its products in the HoReCa sector mainly which includes cafes, restaurants, bars, catering companies, etc. An e-commerce platform is at the disposal of its clients as well. 

Transgourmet Poland employs over 1,000 people in its organisation. 

It is noteworthy that the firm was appreciated by customers as it bagged the “Grand Prix” award in 2020. 

Moreover, the enterprise offers a large variety of products in the following categories: 

• Savoury Grocery: flour, oil, sauces, noodles, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: muesli, tea, coffee, etc. 
• Chilled & Fresh Food: meat, fruits, vegetables, etc.
• Frozen: vegetables, meat, fish, etc. 
• Drinks: soft drinks, juices, water, etc. 
• Wine & Spirits: beers only.  
• Dairy: milk, cheese, yoghurt, etc. 

Brands such as Lowicz, Mlekovita, Fanex, Develey, Knorr, Hellmann, Mosso, Heinz, Caprio, Pepsi and many others are endorsed by the firm. The firm caters for consumers with specific food needs by offering vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free products. 

The distributor developed its own brands under the following names :

• Transgourmet Premium: This brand includes products such as wild rice, seed oil, vinegar, etc. 
• Transgourmet Quality: A line of products such as green tea, coffee, muesli, etc. 
• Transgourmet Economy: This brand includes products such as olive oils, noodles, vinegar, etc. 
• Topseller: A line of products such as honey, wheat flour, noodles, etc. 

Transgourmet Poland maintains the highest quality standards as it is certified by IFS Logistics which also fulfils the requirements of the HACCP system. 

Pertaining to its logistics solutions, the business operates the most modern warehouses which allows deliveries 6 times a week. Moreover, a fleet of modern vans is available to ensure deliveries for its dry, fresh or frozen products. 

In 2018, the enterprise opened a modern culinary institute in order to give its customers the opportunity to learn about culinary techniques and European trends in gastronomy. 

In 2021, the company’s sales director mentioned that Transgourmet Poland is adapting to market needs after the impact of the pandemic. As a result, it has introduced new products such as ready-made or partially processed meals as this is the future of the gastronomy sector.

Transgourmet  Poland introduced the SAP system in 2021 as it increases better efficiency of warehouse management and the entire supply chain.

Concerning sustainability, the firm reduces its carbon emissions by sourcing ecologically produced meat products, fish and seafood, dairy products, and fruit and vegetables. 

The company’s online shop can be accessed on: https://www.transgourmet.pl/ 

Grupa Dino was founded in 1999 by Tomasz Biernacki and is located in Poland. It is one of the leading polish retail chains. Since 2017, Grupa Dino is quoted on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Grupa Dino has over 5000 references. 

Grupa Dino operates 1218 stores under the banner Dino. 

Grupa Dino  reached a turnover of € 466 million in 2019, indicating a growth of 31.6% compared to 2018. Grupo Dio employed 19400 people in 2019.

Grupo Dino has a variety of products including organic, gluten-free and sugar-free products.

Grupa Dino is the exclusive distributor of the brand Agro-Rydzyna which provides a wide range of meat and charcuterie. 

Grupo Dino operates 4 distribution centres. 

Founded in 1999, Dino is one of the biggest chains in Poland. 

It operates over 2,069 stores across the country and in the beginning of 2022, it opened 265 new stores.

In the financial year 2021, its turnover amounted to  €2.8 billion. By the end of September 2022, it reported a dedicated team of over 35,000 employees. 

It offers a variety of products under different categories such as: 

• Sweet grocery: chocolate, waffles, cookies, etc.  
• Savory grocery: rice, pasta, bread, etc.
• Fresh and chilled: meat, fish, sausages, etc.
• Frozen: seafood, pizza, meat, etc.
• Dairy: yogurt, milk, cheese, etc.
• Drinks: fizzy drinks, water, juice, etc. 
• Household: kitchen napkins, toilet papers, detergents, etc.
• Personal care: shampoo, conditioner, face masks, etc.     
• Wine and spirits: beer, wine, liqueur, etc. 

Most of its dry grocery products are branded FMCG products with a high level of recognition. 

Dino offers high-quality meats, sausages, and meat products provided by Agro-Rydzyna, a meat-processing plant belonging to the Dino Group.

Its logistic network is based on seven distribution centres in: Krotoszyn, Jastrowie, Wolbórz, Rzeszotary, Łobez, Sieroniowice and Sierpc.   

Founded in 1945, Grupo Exito is a Colombian retail group known for operating several retail chains under different banners in South America. The company is owned by a Brazilian subsidiary of Casino Group, a French company, since 2019. Its first store was opened in Medellin by Gustavo Toro in 1949. In 2015, Grupo Exito expanded by buying the Argentine group Libertad. The firm acquired Spice Investments Mercosur, previous owner of Disco, Devoto and Géant chains in Uruguay.

Grupo Exito partnered with NormaNet to launch its online store in 1998.

At present, Grupo Exito operates under the following sectors:

• Retail: englobes all its retail chains
• Wholesale: consists of its wholesale cash & carry stores
• Real Estate: the development of shopping malls under the banner Viva
• E-Commerce: its online businesses linked to its wholesale activities
• Complementary Businesses: businesses in fields such as finance, travel, insurance, mobile phone services, etc.
• Business Support: its textile, food production and logistic businesses

In the retail and wholesale sectors, the company operates 515 stores across Colombia, 25 in Argentina and 90 in Uruguay.

Grupo Exito achieved a turnover of €13 Billion € in 2021 in Columbia, registering an increase in revenue of 7% compared to 2020.Cumulative revenue for Colombia, Uruguay and Argentina reaches 15.5 Billion € for the same year.

The group currently employs around 43 500 people in total.

The company operates the following banners (including but not limited to):

• Exito: a chain of hypermarkets in Colombia
• Carulla: a chain of supermarkets
• Pomona: several supermarkets
• Surtimax Bodega: a chain of  cash & carry shops
• SuperINTER
• SurtiMAYORISTA: a chain of cash & carry stores
• Devoto: a chain of retail stores in Uruguay
• Disco: a retail chain in Uruguay
• Geant: Several shops operating in Uruguay
• Libertad: a chain of stores in Argentina
• Paseo Libertad: a number of hypermarkets based in Argentina
•  

The company provides both branded products as well as products under its own labels for its different banners. 

Moreover, Grupo Exito is one of the 10 most sustainable food retailers worldwide. Carulla, one of the banners operating under Grupo Exito, was awarded the Best Colombian Retailer by America Retail. Moreover, Grupo Exito received the ‘’Commitment for Equality’’ title by the Ministry of Labor.

Éxito Foundation was launched in 1993 in order to help and improve social, educational, civic, cultural as well as child nutrition conditions in Colombia. Grupo Exito also promotes sustainable trade thus reducing environmental impacts.

When it comes to suppliers, Grupo Exito is meticulous. The company has published its supplier manual that contains all the rules, norms, regulations, etc. regarding transparency, negotiations, delivery of products, ethical codes, human rights regulations, environment, etc. Suppliers must comply with these practices if they wish to collaborate with the company. 

FHC is a food service which has been founded by Wim Markwat in the year 1994 and its headquarters is based in Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands. It provides its services in the HoReCa segment. The company has 3 franchises namely Family, Foodmaster and Vital4Skool.

Furthermore, the firm has created employment for 19 dedicated people to work for the business.

Family - It is different from other cafeterias whose basic values are “fresh & healthy”, “sustainable” and “home feeling”. One gets access to a fair meal at a fair price. Also, its cafeteria was named as the Provincial Winner at the cafeteria Top 100. The products categories include: Sweet grocery, Drinks and savoury grocery.

Foodmaster - Its objective is to offer “tasty”, easy and fast” food to its consumers. The customer can choose from a wide range of snacks from A-brand manufacturers. The firm focuses on fresh products and prepare the snacks in clean frying pans which is checked and filtered daily. It promotes healthy food that is why it ensures fresh meals are prepared for the benefit of its consumers.

Vital4Skool - It is found in school canteens where students can obtain fresh and tasty products. An interesting fact about Vital4Skool is that it has attached a battery behind each food product indicating whether the food is healthy or not. A green battery means that the food product is healthy, an orange battery indicates that it can be eaten occasionally and a red battery specifies that it should be eaten as little as possible therefore pupils can differentiate between right and wrong. It also kept in mind the student’s health by reducing the price of the green products so that most of the students can move towards those products only. It is interesting to know that Vital4Skool has been nominated for the NFV Franchise Trophy 2018.

Furthermore, the company obtained the HACCP certification.

The objective of the company is to review the franchise products and services every year so that adjustments can be made for further development.

Gourmet Partners is an importer which has been established in the year 2010 and is headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic. The firm is the exclusive importer and distributor of famous brands in the Czech and Slovak market. Clients can purchase products online through the firm’s e-commerce platform. 

Gourmet Partners achieved a turnover of € 1.20 million in 2018 which indicates that the company’s turnover has grown by 58% as compared to 2017. 

The products categories include:

• Sweet grocery: jams, coffee, chocolate, etc.

• Savory grocery: vinegars, salt, oils, etc.

• Drinks: wines

• Dairy: cheese

The importer has a bio line which consists of products such as:

• Drinking chocolate

• Whole beans coffee

• Ground coffee

• Organic rustic terrine

The company also owns a gluten free assortment, which includes:

• Duck terrine

• Chicken liver confit

• Pork liver pate

• Farmhouse terrine

There are various advantages in working with Gourmet Partners as they offer high quality goods at lower prices. The goods are always in stock thus fast delivery is definite. Also, the clients have the possibility to pick up the goods directly from the warehouse.

Gourmet Partners’s online shop can be accessed on www.gourmet-partners.cz

Farutex is a wholesaler which was established in 1991 and is headquartered in Szczecin, Poland. It operates as a subsidiary of Bidvest Group. Farutex offers over 6000 references in different food categories. Farutex operates 18 branches in Poland. 

Farutex supplies hotels, cafes, petrol stations, restaurants, etc. with a variety of products. Some of its clients include Accor Hotels, Radisson Hotels, Shell, Staoil, Tornetti, etc. 

Farutex also runs a training and consulting programme for chefs and cooks known as Farutex Culinary Academy. The programme enables Polish chefs and cooks to work with professionals in the industry. 

Farutex won several awards including the Pearls of the Polish Economy in 2015 and the Forbes Diamond and Gazele Biznesu in 2011. 

Farutex offers products under the following categories:

• Frozen Food: fish, fish fingers, lobster, ice cream, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: bread, bagel, cookies, etc.
• Savoury Grocery: soups, soy sauce, ketchup, etc.
• Drinks: juices and various beverages
• Dairy: cheese, whipped cream, yoghurt, etc.
• Chilled & Fresh Food: a range of chilled and fresh food items
• Household: products such as toilet paper and dishwashing liquids

Farutex also provides products under its own labels which are (but not limited to):

• Cook Base: Products like canned peas, shrimp , ketchup can be found in this brand.
• Horeca Fresh: Under this brand, high quality lettuces are available.
• Eat Meat: The products that are sold in this name are bacon, chicken kebab etc…
• Mili: eggs, natural yoghurt, butter and milk are found in this brand.
• Simply Sweet: Products such as jam and sauces are available in this brand.
• Soleo: Drinks such as apple and orange juice are sold under this name.

The firm has obtained the ISO 22000:2005 and QAFP certificates for its food products. Also through the execution of the HACCP system, Farutex focuses on food health safety.

Furthermore, the company offers best service through its transport fleet.

Mc Donald’s is a fast food chain founded by 2 brothers, Dick and Mac Mc Donald’s in 1940 in California, USA. Nowadays, Mc Donald’s operates as a franchise across the world. 

The business was known as Mc Donald’s Bar-B-Q restaurant. However in 1948, the owners decided to review the concept and Mc Donald’s relaunched as a self-service drive-in restaurant. 

Ray Kroc, a salesperson, visited the fast food in 1954. Seduced by Mc Donald’s concept, he became a franchising agent for the chain. In 1961, Ray Kroc acquired the company and rights over the franchise for € 2.4 million. 

In 1967, the chain went international by opening restaurants in Canada and Puerto Rico. Nowadays Mc Donald’s operates a total of 38695 restaurants across the world including 13846 restaurants in the US. 

Mc Donald’s operates its restaurants under different formats:

• Mc Donald’s restaurants: which has a counter service and a drive-through

• McDrive: usually located near highways and have no counter service or seating arrangements.

• MC Express: Smaller Mc Donald’s restaurants with just a few seatings.

• Mc Stop: Designed for travellers and tuckers.

In 2019, Mc Donald’s employed 205000 people across the world. In 2018, the company achieved a turnover of  € 19.3 billion. 

Mc Donald’s takes into consideration the restaurant location and readapts its menu accordingly to include meals influenced by the country’s own cuisine.

The enterprise is known for having products at affordable prices in order to fulfill customer needs.

Mc Donald's has made an announcement of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It is the latest restaurant who is willing to ban plastic straws in order to combat pollution. 

Furthermore, the company sponsors various charities and also organises the McHappy Day, an annual fundraising event in various countries so as to support these charities. 

McDonalds UK is a fast food chain which was established in 1974. Its headquarters is based in London, United Kingdom. The company is a subsidiary of the American-based multinational fast food chain, McDonalds. 

Currently, the business operates 1,358 outlets across the country, serving more than 3.7 million customers daily. McDonalds UK manages an e-commerce platform as well. 

It is noteworthy that the company received the sustainable food and farming award in 2021. 

Additionally, the enterprise offers a variety of products under the following categories: 

• Chilled & fresh: burgers, desserts, milkshakes, etc. 
• Frozen: A variety of ice creams. 
• Drinks: soft drinks, water, juice, etc. 

Besides, McDonalds UK offers a range of vegan and vegetarian products in its portfolio. 

The firm offers its products under its own brands such as (non-exhaustive list): 

• McCafe: A line of coffee, milkshakes and juices. 
• McFlurry: A line of desserts and ice creams. 
• McPlant: A line of vegan burgers. 

In addition, the business maintains the highest quality standards as it is certified by RSPO, Vegan, Rainforest Alliance, etc. 

Pertaining to its logistics solutions, McDonalds UK operates its own distribution centres and partners with Martin Brower, a leading logistics service provider to manage its deliveries. 

Concerning sustainability, the firm signed an agreement with the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment for the recycling of PE-lined paper cups. Moreover, Mc Donald’s UK favours local suppliers in order to reduce its carbon footprints. 

In July 2021, the company launched the “Hottest Burger”, McSpicy which comes with a bottle of milk for delivery orders. In the same year in September, the foodservice introduced the “Vegan McPlant Burger” in partnership with vegan brand, “Beyond Meat”. 

Moreover, McDonalds UK announced that it will open 50 more new restaurants in 2022 and will hire 20,000 people. 

Furthermore, in February 2022, McDonalds UK opened its first net zero restaurant which will act as a blueprint for its future outlets nationwide.  

In May 2022, the restaurant partnered with Deliveroo in order to promote growth and increase consumer choice.

The company’s online platform can be accessed on: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ 

Founded in 2012, Artania is an importer and distributor of seafood products. Its headquarters is based in Marupe, Latvia. The company sources its products from countries such as Norway, Great Britain, Iceland, Scotland, Morocco and many others. 

Moreover, the firm is also indulged in export activities. Besides, Artania participated in the Seafood Expo Global 2022 where it had its own stand. 

In the financial year 2020, Artania achieved a turnover of € 10.8 million. 

Furthermore, the business offers a variety of fish products in the Frozen category which are as follows: 

• Pelagic fish
• White fish 
• Salmon products 

Brands such as Savorin, Mackerel, Herring, Capelin, Squid, Saithe, Hake, Sardina, etc, are endorsed by the firm.

Pertaining to its logistics solutions, the business uses the seaport in the Baltic region to manage its import and export activities. 

Baltstor is a retail co-operation based in Latvia and was established in 2004. Its headquarters is based in Riga, Latvia. The firm regroups 95 companies with more than 400 retail outlets. Some of its members include 2 of the most popular retail chains: Mego and Vesko. Baltstor purchases products in bulk for all its members depending on their requirements.  

Baltstor employs 89 people and achieves € 43.6 million. 

Baltstor was ranked among the Top 500 major companies in Latvia in 2018. 

Baltstor has a warehouse area of 8000 m2 and there are plans to expand to a total of 25000m2 in the next 5 years.  There is a regular warehouse and a warehouse for cold and frozen products.

Baltstor will stop selling eggs from cage-reared chicken by 2025. 

Global synergy is known as a private label company in Greece. Founded in 2011, the company is under the ownership of Elgeka. Presently, Global synergy acts as a networking platform whereby trade agreements and long- term co-operations are planned. The firm is the largest specialised private label company in the country. 

The business achieved a turnover of € 27.67 million in 2020 and employs 18 people. 

Global Synergy holds certifications pertaining to the IFS Broker standards, BRC Agents & Brokers, and ISO 9001: 2015.

Its main activity lies in the wholesale of food products including the following categories:

• Savory Grocery: rice, pasta, pet food, ready-meals, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: sweet canned foods, biscuits, seasonal confectionery, sugar, breakfast cereals, etc.
• Dairy: milk, cream, cheese, etc
• Drinks: ice tea, carbonated drinks, non-carbonated drinks, etc
• Frozen Food: ice-cream, fish,seafood, starters,etc.
• Personal Care: baby care, lotion, cream, etc
• Household: a range of cleaning supplies

The company owns 664 brands, some of which are:

• SeaSide: a range of frozen seafood items 
• Marini: offers products in the sweet grocery category such as puff pastry, cookies, etc. 
• Feel Happy: offers packaged snacks such as pancakes
• Arome Du Cafe: an assortment of coffee products

Additionally, around 450 Private Labels are also endorsed by the company. 

Global synergy provides services such as Buying & Selling products, B2B Marketing, Logistics, and Quality Control. 

The firm has 99 local suppliers and 39 foreign suppliers. 3 laboratories are also in charge of quality control.  

All sorts of suppliers and manufacturers can benefit from the Global synergy distribution channel while retailers and wholesalers can purchase certified products without necessarily conducting market research and other negotiations.

All products undergo quality control tests before being launched on the market. 

The importer also has foreign contacts for clients who want private labels from abroad.

Logistics services are taken care of by Diakinisis, another subsidiary of Elgeka group, The warehouse space is 180000 m2 and hygiene and safety factors are taken into consideration when stocking the products. Modern trucks take care of the delivery of the orders.

With regards to the environment, Global Synergy indulges in several measures. For instance, the business has contributed 2,845 blue bins and 6 vehicles for the collection of recyclable packaging.

Falabella is a retail group which has been established in the year 1889 by Salvatore Falabella. The headquarters is based in Santiago, Chile. The firm operates in the following countries: Chile, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Uruguay. 

Falabella Retail is a chain of stores operating Chile, Peru, Argentina and Columbia. In 1999, the store launched its online shop in Chile. 

Falabella employs 54472 people in Chile and the company achieved a turnover of € 11.6 billion in 2018, indicating that its revenue has grown by 1.6% as compared to 2017. 

Falabella gained market recognition through the award of “Best managed company overall in Latin America” by Euromoney.

The business provides a diversified collection of goods under the following categories:

• Personal care

• Bazar

Falabella also launched the brand Sybilla that offers a range of women apparel and also operates 5 stores in Chile under the banner Sybilla. 

Falabella acquired other store chains in different sectors and diversified its activities.

The company owns Sodimac Homecenter, a department store chain consisting of 254 shops in various parts of South America. 

Falabella also manages the chain of supermarkets, Tottus which now operates 134 stores in Chile and Peru.

Falabella also took over the regional marketplace, Linio in 2018. The firm uses the marketplace to offer products from Falabella Retail, Sodimac and Tottus. 

Falabella has entered the financial services industry and offers insurance, baking, credit card facilities in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico. 

Furthermore, the company is also involved in the real estate business and develops shopping centers in Chile, Peru and Colombia. 

In 2018, Falabella started Digital Factory, a division which is involved in finding digital solutions for the company. 

Falabella operates 14 distribution centres in Chile. 

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Peru, Tottus is a retailer of products pertaining to food, cleaning, personal hygiene, etc. The company was acquired by Falabella in 2005 and has been operating in the Peruvian market for more than 16 years. 

In 2020, the company launched a mobile application called Fazil in order to facilitate online shopping for its customers. Moreover, an online shop is also available on the website. 

Furthermore, Tottus operates 30 stores across the country, including 20 in Lima.

With a workforce of more than 10 000 employees, the company achieves an annual turnover of €984 million. Its online sales brought a revenue of over €24.3 million in 2021.

Tottus provides a wide assortment of goods under the following categories:

• Sweet Grocery: Jam, Honey, Coffee, Cookies, Industrial pastries, etc.
• Savory Grocery: Canned food, Oil, Rice, Pasta, Salt, etc.
• Chilled & Fresh Food: Meat, Poultry, Minced meat, Seafood, etc.
• Dairy: Milk, Cheese, Butter, Yoghurt, etc.
• Frozen Food: Burgers, Ready-made meals, Vegetables, Ice cream, etc.
• Drinks: Soda, Mineral water, Juices, etc
• Wine & Spirits: Beer, Wine, and many more
• Personal Care: Hair care, Oral care, Body care, Make up, Face care, etc.
• Household: Detergents, Softeners, Toilet paper, Napkins, Sponges, etc.
• Pet care: Pet food, Pet shampoo, Pet accessories, etc 

Moreover, the company works with brands such as Ace, Ariel, Laive, President, etc. The firm imports its goods from Belgium, France, UK and many more.

Tottus also provides several  products under its own labels which are: 

• Tottus: This brand is dedicated to all product categories.
• Tottus Life: The brand has been created to improve the lifestyle of people by providing healthy foods with low fat, organic, gluten free and lactose free products.
• Precio Uno: This brand covers the food and non-food categories and is sold at lower prices.

Concerning logistics, in 2019, Tottus invested around € 34 million for a new logistics centre in Peru, aiming to serve its customers in a better and faster way. The new warehouse is equipped with the latest facilities. 

With regards to the environment, Tottus has adopted several measures such as selling shopping bags which are made from corn starch, ensuring that the latter are not only biodegradable but can also be used as compost. 

Furthermore, the firm recently announced that it aims to invest in and to open around 30 new supermarkets in Peru by the end of 2030. 

The online shop can be accessed at www.tottus.com

Founded in 2003, Latinex is an importer and manufacturer of premium foods from around the world. The product involves mainly quality everyday products. The product categories involves: mainly savory grocery and sweet grocery including the following products:

• Biscuits
• Syrup
• Chocolate
• Sauces
• Spices
• Pastas
• Gluten-free

The importer presently works with 9 brands which can be found in supermarkets, emporiums, specialty stores, bakeries and butchers across Brazil.

The fitfood brand which is the importer’s own brand is the most popular among Brazilians who are known to be health conscious and there is a high demand for Latinex to bring gluten-free, protein-rich, vegan and non-transgenic products.
Another own brand by Latinex : Smart spices has already established its position on the market with over 40 product ranges of seasonings. U-chef with the label of "dummies" was launched in 2016 signed by Chef Erick are spices range. While Frontera represents snacks, pepper sauces and dips and Taste&co are condiments featuring ready-made cheese sauces.

Latinex also imports international brands like Tyrells,Swiss Miss, Skippy, Heide, and Merba.

To expand its professional network, the company started to export to the Arab market specially between 2005 to 2011. Indeed, Latinex exported biscuits, canned meat and fruits juices to Libya, Egypt, Syria etc.

Progressing in its expansion, the firm acquired Gouda’s Gilde waffles which is a caramel-stuffed cookies company. And since 2009, Latinex through its premium food import operations, started to target specialised retail outlets like emporiums and delicatessens. Presently, the trading company is working on improving its export units and aims to restart foreign sales.

DMI is a food importer based in Slovakia, providing the following products: Meat, cheese, fish, seafoods, pasta, oils, olives, canned foods and sterilized items. The company, founded in 2002, sources products from different parts of the world and has a portfolio of clients who are mainly from the retail and HoReCa sectors. They are as follows:

• Ufo
• Savage Garden
• Aucafe, Parcafe
• La Lanterna
• El Gaucho
• Bonjour
• Molo Restaurant
• I Love Pizza
• Metro
• Market Centrum
• Kon-Rad
• Apollo
• Holiday Inn

The clients from the retail sector are:

• Tesco
• Carrefour
• COOP
• Diligentia
• Billa

The categories DMI Trading works with are, savory grocery, frozen and chilled. The food items provided by the latter includes seafood, cheese, condiments, meat, pasta, rice etc.

The products are sourced from European manufacturers like:

• Stuhrk delicatessen (Germany)
• Salumificio Fratelli Beretta, Zarpellon, Brimi, Zarotti, Grandi Pastai, Oleificio Speroni, Novafrutta, Liquori (Italy)
• Caula, Velmar (Spain)
• Fleischwaren Berger, Käsemacher, Handl Tyrol (Austria)
• Losica (Czech Republic)
• Viciunai Group (Lithuania)
• Agustson, Dansti Seafood (Denmark)
• Kladesholmen, Lohmanders (Sweden)
• Interme, Zandbergen (Netherlands)
• etc

DMI carefully selects international brands to work with and below are a few examples:

• Fratelli Beretta
• Handl Tyrol
• Die Kasemacher
• Grandi Pastai
• Stuhrk Delicatessen
• Genussmanufaktur wine
• Agustson
• Embutidos Caula
• Kladesholmenseafood
• Klades Holmen

Kaupmees was founded in 1992 and can be described as a food wholesaler. Initially there were only 300 products among its assortment by in 2 years the wholesaler has managed to have 3000 products.

Kaupmees has a central warehouse and actually own 7 cash and carries with over 15,000 product items including food and non-food items. The delivery network covers the entire Estonia.The firm has approximately 300 employees among which some has worked in the company for 15 years.

Recently, the wholesaler acquired Tridens which is a distributor of food and beverage brands in Estonia. Tridens’ sales was equal to 42.3 million euros in 2015 while Kaupmees & KO sales was 68.6 million euros. Indeed Kaupmees acquired 51% share of Tridens. Kaupmees popularity among customers represents over 65% and to innovate the company has started to use new webshop hence strengthening the latter’s position in Estonia.

In fact, Kaupmees markets over 50 international brands in the food service sector. Kaupmees is presently the largest cash and carry firm in the Baltics and since 2014 uses Relex’s supply chain for their store replenishment. As a matter of fact, the wholesaler started dealing with Relex as they were searching for a solution for supply improvement, following which automated ordering was initiated.

Being a retailer of food and retail goods, the company’s clients includes:

• Restaurants
• Hotels
• Bars
• Pubs
• Department stores
• Retail chains

Kaupmees products ordering is also available online via eKaupmees whereby subscribers can choose among over 14,000 products and various brands.

CTS is a major player in the distribution field in Canada. The importer, established in 1988, is focussed on supplying independent supermarkets in Quebec and Ontario. CTS Food Brokers offers over 2000 references. 

The company works with over 600 independent stores including Loblaws, Adonis, Supermarche PA, etc. 

In 2016, CTS Food Brokers reached a turnover of € 28.9 million and employed 55 persons.

 Their products assortment consist of the following categories:

• Savory Grocery: sauces, pasta, oils, canned foods, snacks, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: granola bars, sweet canned foods, industrial pastries, etc.
• Chilled & Fresh Food: meat, charcuterie, snacks, etc.
• Frozen Food: vegetables, ready-meals, starters, seafood, etc.
• Dairy: a range of cheeses