Ahold Delhaize has signed an agreement to join Eurelec, the European retail alliance joint venture established in 2016 by German and French retailers REWE Group and E.Leclerc.
Joint sourcing is expected to commence in 2025, following approval from the competition authorities.
The partnership will contribute to the effective realisation of an open single European market for the negotiation and trading of goods from large international FMCG manufacturers and ensure fair purchase prices, for the benefit of the consumers of the three retailers in Europe.
“Ahold Delhaize, REWE Group and E.Leclerc share the common vision of creating a level playing field for the benefit of our consumers across Europe. Together, we will be even more efficient and effective in strengthening the single market,” according to Hans-Jürgen Moog, president of the board of Eurelec.
Single Sourcing Platform
Eurelec acts as a single sourcing platform, reducing the complexity and cost of sourcing for large international manufacturers.
It engages in open and fair negotiations on the difference of price requested by FMCG manufacturers across the European Union.
According to Eurelec, Ahold Delhaize joining the alliance confirms its relevance and effectiveness as a European joint purchasing platform.
Wouter Kolk, CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe and Indonesia, said, “We experienced price differences between European countries that cannot be objectively explained, other than that some manufacturers sell the exact same product at different prices in EU countries.
“We owe it to our consumers to keep food affordable in these challenging times and grant them access to a true European single market. Ahold Delhaize is looking forward to joining Eurelec, as a leading European retail alliance promoting open and fair price negotiation of the largest FMCG brands across Europe, which ultimately benefit our customers.”
The announcement comes a day after Dutch retailer Jumbo joined Everest and Epic Partners, as it seeks to collaborate with other European supermarket chains in the area of purchasing.
