A leading industry expert has identified Lidl, Mercadona, Biedronka, Carrefour and Jumbo as the five 'retailers to watch' over the coming years, in a seminar held at the PLMA World of Private Label event in Amsterdam earlier this week.
Edgar Elzerman, retail consultant at US-based ECI, and former vice-president of own brand at Ahold, was addressing a seminar on private-label trends, attended by leading retail executives and suppliers.
On Lidl, he said that the Germany-based retailer is "moving away from the hard-discount image and upgrading the customer experience", focusing on premium private-label ranges, and local trends in each of its European markets.
Elzerman identified Mercadona as having "come out of the recession in a better way than how it went in", praising the retailer's strong private-brand programme, fresh focus and locally sourced produce.
Polish chain Biedronka, which is part of the Jerónimo Martins group, was cited by Elzerman as "knowing everything about the Polish customer". Its strong national expansion programme, under which the retailer hopes to have 3,000 stores in operation by 2017, was also praised.
While Carrefour France has had its difficulties in recent years, it has recently implemented a "back-to-basics strategy" and a "streamlined operation with more focus on specific areas", Elzerman said.
He also praised the retailer's 'Connected Kitchen' app, which enables the user to scan the products in their kitchen and add them to their online shopping basket.
Finally, Dutch retailer Jumbo was identified for its move into new standalone concept stores (under the Foodmarkt banner), its private-label strategy, and its ability to move from being a "regional player to a national player" through successful acquisitions.
Also presenting during the seminar programme was Jim Hertel, managing partner, Willard Bishop, who presented a 'Report from America'.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones.
