Albert Heijn is to trim its non-food product portfolio, with plans to shrink its its offerings of clothes, books, CDs and phone products, InternationalSupermarketNews.com reports.
Though floor space will not change, there will be more space in the retailer’s supermarkets for food products than there has been in recent years. It is expanding its food offering, placing emphasis on healthier products.
The company began an enlargement of its non-food division in 2009, enlisting buyers from Dutch discount chain HEMA. It appears, however, that Albert Heijn has decided to return to a business model closer to that with which it began.
Gerard van den Tweel, a franchisee for the firm, gave an interview with Food Magazine in which he said that "the whole operation have led to a better assortment in the stores, but never got a grip on the non-food segment. There is simply too much competition. Everyone nowadays goes for offers even for tea towels to cups to dishes."
Anoesjka Aspeslagh, one of its spokespeople, said, that "some things change in the non-food departments in all stores and on our website to better suit the changing needs of our customers."
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here
