2024-01-03 16:13:09
Supermarket chain Jumbo has had a good year. The company from Veghel managed to recover from a turbulent 2022. “We are coming out of a deep valley,” says CEO Ton van Veen in conversation with NU.nl.
Jumbo has had to deal with a lot lately. The family business was confronted with the death of founder Karel van Eerd. A few months later it was announced that Frits van Eerd would not return as chairman of the board, regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation into him.
Last year, Van Eerd became involved in a money laundering investigation by the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD). This involved sponsorship in car and motorsport by both Jumbo and Van Eerd itself. As part of the investigation, Van Eerd’s house was searched. Large amounts of cash were found there. He was also detained for several days.
“It is intense when founder Karel van Eerd dies within a year and his successor Frits van Eerd is forced to stay at home,” says Van Veen.
Did that make a big difference at Jumbo?
“Of course, that is a shock for a family business. And there are all kinds of other things on top of that, such as high inflation and increased costs for energy, for example. But we have recovered in the past year. I therefore see 2023 as a transition year We did well, especially in the third and fourth quarters, with a market share of 22 percent once more in some weeks.”
Jumbo will once once more reduce the prices of certain products. How many and which products are involved?
“We do everything we can to keep prices as low as possible and prevent price increases. But due to high inflation and increased wage and energy costs, you simply cannot avoid prices being increased. In 2023 we will have the prices of more than a thousand products have been reduced. I hope to reduce the prices of several thousand products this year. The purchasing partnership with Everest and Epic Partners offers the possibilities for this.”
There has been a lot of criticism of supermarkets in the past year. This would lead to ‘grab inflation’. Did that irritate you?
“I understand that consumers think this way. Everything has become more expensive, I see that myself when I go shopping at the weekend. And then there are supermarkets that make big turnovers. Then I understand people’s sentiment. But it is nonsense that there is grab inflation, so we are deliberately raising prices even more. In the meantime, we are having to deal with price increases of 10 to sometimes 25 percent from suppliers. And our margins are wafer-thin.”
There are politicians and economists who claim the opposite.
“Again: I understand that a consumer says it. But politicians and economists who claim that should read the annual reports carefully. Then they will see that there is no truth in their claims.”
Jumbo has said goodbye to flash delivery and sponsorship. So the new strategy is gaining steam. What do we see in this?
“We have chosen to go all the way back to basics, so we focus purely on the supermarket. We have lost focus in recent years by being busy with other activities.”
Since last year, supermarkets have also been collecting cans for deposits. How do you like that?
“It mainly causes a lot of hassle. People hand in their waste in a store where food is sold. Vending machines regularly break down because the cans leak. The waste then has to be sorted once more in the distribution center. It is not the most fun activity if you work in a supermarket, and it also leads to extra costs. The government has placed the task with the supermarkets, but you may wonder whether that is the most effective.”
1704308165
#Jumbo #CEO #Van #Veen #happy #recovery #coming #deep #valley #Economy
