What just didn’t work out last year, supermarket group Jumbo hopes to achieve this year for the first time: more than 10 billion euros in turnover.
The company from Brabant is already well on track for this. On Wednesday, it reported a slight increase in turnover to 5.5 billion euros. That is 1.6 percent more than a year ago. Jumbo did not disclose profit figures.
Restaurant group La Place in particular is recovering quickly since the disappearance of the corona measures in March this year. Where the restaurant had a turnover of 13 million euros in the first half of last year, it was now almost four times as much: 51 million euros.
The expansion of Jumbo in Belgium also contributed to the turnover growth. The group now has 21 supermarkets in that country and plans to open six more this year.
The turnover from groceries ordered online, which grew rapidly in the corona years, remained about the same after the corona measures were lifted. “More and more Jumbo customers are combining a visit to the store with the convenience and unburdening of online,” Jumbo writes in its half-year report.
Collaboration with Gorillas
In the coming period, Jumbo wants to continue investing in its online activities. At the beginning of this year, it was already announced that Jumbo has started a collaboration with flash delivery company Gorrilas. Jumbo customers should soon be able to choose an extra fast delivery option in the twelve cities where the flash delivery service is active.
In addition, Jumbo continues to open new own delivery centers for regular home delivery. The supermarket is also introducing a subscription to home delivery: ‘Bezorgeloos’.
Over the past six months, supermarket prices have risen by an average of 8 percent. CEO Frits van Eerd expects that increase to continue for a while, he told ANP news agency. “But I hope not.” According to Van Eerd, the price increase in Dutch supermarkets is relatively limited, due to the ‘very fierce’ competition.
Many Dutch people are at risk of having to make cutbacks due to the rapid price increases, because wages and benefits do not rise at the same rate. Yet Jumbo has not noticed much of this for the time being, says Van Eerd. Hardly any fewer products are sold, at most a few percent.
The CEO also does not see a decrease in popularity of luxury products. “People don’t say: we’re not going to eat steak anymore, we’re just going to eat a meatball.”
Van Eerd also spoke to ANP about the financial damage as a result of the recent blockades by farmers at distribution centers. According to the CEO, this amounts to millions of euros. This mainly concerns fresh food that normally goes to the shops quickly and now had to be thrown away. “It’s a great pity,” says Van Eerd. “We will have to absorb that damage ourselves, we are not going to leave it with anyone.”
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