Twelve years after starting a drive to promote local producers, Carrefour Belgium now works with 1,000 local suppliers, announced CEO Geoffroy Gersdorff.
The scheme, initially implemented in a few hypermarkets, now extends to each of Carrefour’s 710 Belgian stores which stock products from at least one local producer based within a 40km radius of the shop.
Collaboration with local suppliers has led to a “paradigm shift” at Carrefour Belgium, emphasising a direct relationship between store managers and local suppliers, highlighted Gersdorff.
Prices, both wholesale and retail, are set by the local suppliers themselves, on advice from the shop manager. The distributor has cut administrative costs and amended its payment terms, enabling local producers to be paid quicker than with larger providers. “Unlike some competitors, we don’t demand exclusivity. We allow producers to grow at their own pace,” continued Gersdorff, Carrefour Belgium’s CEO.
In 12 years, the initiative has helped establish successful entrepreneurial stories: “Some local suppliers have grown into regional or even national producers. It’s a source of pride for us, to have supported their growth,” Gersdorff expressed.
Seasonal workers pictured attending to pear trees in Sint-Gillis-Waas, west of Antwerp, July 2023. Credit: Belga
Although “very proud of the work achieved” which has inspired other branches of the Carrefour group internationally, Gersdorff recognises that “this is only the beginning” and voiced a continued search for additional producers, particularly those offering fresh produce, small-scale vegetable gardening and aromatic herbs.
“The 720,000 customers visiting our stores every day have a role to play. With their purchases, with their choices, they have genuine power and can change our product ranges. If the customer demands more local products, we will provide more. It’s up to us to be capable of supporting this,” concluded Gersdorff.
