Digitalization and sustainability are seen as big topics, where we lead and want to lead, and this is very relevant for Serbia as well
How does life and work in Belgrade look like after a year, in what way does the company contribute to the country’s economic potential and how did the pandemic affect their plans within the digital field, we talked with Jan-Willem Dockheer, CEO of Delhaize Serbia.
You have been in Belgrade for almost a year. How different is the business atmosphere here, compared to other countries where Ahold Delhaize does business as the leading global retail chain with almost 7,000 stores around the world?
Delhaize Serbia is a proud member of the Ahold Delhaize Group with whom it shares fundamental values and business. Large teams with the best people in the market, strong partnerships with suppliers who are leading global and local brands, as well as millions of loyal customers making our brands leaders in local markets around the world. The team I came to, which has more than 13,000 passionate professionals, is a reliable neighbour of the local community in which we operate. The strength and commitment of the people I had the opportunity to recognise during the pandemic within colleagues who served customers in Maxi, Mega Maxi, Maxi online, Tempo and Shop & Go stores or do their work from the Distribution Centre and Customer Support, were a clear signal of the environment I came to; truly passionate professionals who care.
“Together with more than 80 local suppliers from all over Serbia we have improved our offer and quality of products”
And looking wider, in the world we see digitalization and sustainability as big topics, where we lead and want to lead, and this is very relevant for Serbia as well. We are typically set up to manage the business locally, so my Serbian team will take many initiatives during the years to come to professionalize our stores further and further, to lead and grow the digital market in Serbia and to take many smart initiatives in sustainability so we leave behind this world in a better state than how we’ve got it.
How much does Serbia use its local potential and what are the possibilities for improvement in that field?
I would say that Serbia’s major potential is rooted in good soil that is rich in various agricultural crops. Our company is aware of that and that is why we want local, fresh and the highest quality fruits and vegetables from every part of Serbia to arrive in our stores every day. We are strategically committed to work with local suppliers and provide a wide range of home-grown fruits and vegetables to our customers for the past several years. Together with more than 80 local suppliers from all over Serbia, in previous years, we have improved our offer and quality of products that you can find in our stores today and, in 2020 alone, we purchased 12 per cent more local agricultural products than in the previous year. In order to further support local farmers and help them in their inclusion in large systems such as ours, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, we have organised a series of workshops for local suppliers & farmers and we will keep doing so. We simply want to make the distance from Farm-to-Fork as short as possible, which is great for the best tasty products and is also sustainably better. I am personally driving and looking forward to this ambitious project and I believe that, in the years to come, we will have the best onions, melons, tomatoes, potatoes and a lot more that comes from Serbia in our stores, throughout the entire year and with that we will play an active role in developing the Serbian economy to the next level.
General digitalisation at the time of the pandemic affected all business segments, including the retail industry. What has Delhaize Serbia changed in its future plans?
Expanding the retail network and constantly raising the business ladder were the postulates of our business strategy even before the pandemic. What the pandemic has brought to the whole world, including us, is the additionally accelerated parallel work on modernisation and digitalisation of all aspects of business, especially e-commerce. Thus, in addition to improving and expanding our stores, Maxi online has also become a part of the business that has shown huge potential. We have a smart team on all digital developments, we will invest even more and further improve our digital consumer experiences, and with all that we believe we will even help the total digital growth of the country, which will help convenience in people’s lives who want and need that.
“Serbia’s major potential is rooted in good soil that is rich in various agricultural crops”
Additionally, I am proud of the team that is developing a state-of-the-art new loyalty programme. By the end of the year, our customers will be able to see a fully digitalised loyalty programme that will show what “personalised offers” really mean and a concept that will enable customers to benefit from exactly those products that suit their purchasing habits and save money.
In addition to the business impression, how did you personally experience Belgrade?
The great team of people who welcomed me showed me the strength and energy I can expect in my work. On the other hand, Belgrade provides many other contents, surprises and very pleasant living conditions. I like to use walks by the river and in the city for relaxation, the interior of the region, city and its streets still leaves me a lot of space to explore. Especially now when Covid fades away luckily, I look forward to being among Serbian people, in restaurants, in cafes, in events and on the mountains in winter. Living in Serbia has been a great experience, I like the way Serbs relax and enjoy life, I can learn a lot from this, and it can only get better with Covid leaving us – so life is good here.