Belgium's Delhaize has announced a long-term partnership with Foodmaker with the aim to bring healthy food closer to customers.
The two groups will create more 'touchpoints' in Delhaize stores, as well as open new Foodmaker restaurants and company restaurants.
Long-Term Partnership
The agreement sees Delhaize become the exclusive operational operator of the Foodmaker restaurant concept. It aims to open five new Foodmaker restaurants each year from 2022.
According to the groups, the partnership was formed as a response to increased demand for healthy food solutions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The closer collaboration between Delhaize and Foodmaker is built on an existing collaboration of more than ten years.
Customers already have access to Foodmaker products in the 826 Delhaize stores across Belgium and online via Delhaize.be.
Thanks to the 150 Foodmaker salad bars, Delhaize customers can put together their own salad in-store. The number of salad bars in Delhaize stores is also set to increase.
Delhaize And Foodmaker Restaurants
A new dimension will be added to the partnership with the launch of three Foodmaker restaurants this year in collaboration with Delhaize.
In terms of responsibilities in the new venture, Foodmaker will look after the design of the restaurants according to their look and feel and continue to focus on food innovation to ensure delicious, healthy dishes from the field to the restaurants.
Delhaize will be responsible for expanding the existing network of restaurants to new locations in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Delhaize is currently looking for independent operators who will, in turn, be responsible for the daily management of the restaurants.
A pilot project is currently underway in Foodmaker Bascule in the municipality of Uccle.
The first official openings are slated in the autumn of 2021 in Brussels-North in the Covent Garden building, rented by the European Commission, and in the business park in Mechelen.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
