Bord Bia looks to beef up presence in Holland
Food Minister Brendan Smith, who launched the campaign, said 1,115 Dutch supermarkets will participate in on-pack promotions, supported by a full range of specially developed point of sale materials.
Further promotion of the quality image of Irish beef will centre around the Chefs’ Irish Beef Club, established in 2004 in the Dutch, French and British markets. The club is proving a most effective way of securing media coverage in high-end consumer and trade magazines.
The bulk of Irish beef entering the Dutch market continues to be chilled vac-pack format. Total Irish beef exports to the country for the first quarter of 2005 are provisionally estimated to be over €33 million in value.
Minister Smith said over half of the projected 40,000 tonnes of Irish beef exported to the Netherlands is destined for supermarket shelves.
“The Dutch retail trade has been an excellent market for Irish beef over recent years and I am confident that with the close links the Irish industry has forged with Dutch retailers and the quality of beef that Ireland can offer we can continue to grow this business,” he said.
The promotion will run in stores of the top three retail groups which between them account for over 60% of the Dutch retail market. A total of 700 Albert Heijn stores will participate in the Irish Beef Recipe Swatch Campaign promotional activity that started on September 26 and runs until October 23.
Over half a million special recipe sticker-booklets will be applied to promotional packs of Irish beef over the period. In addition to the three free recipes in the booklet, the consumer can send away for a free recipe swatch containing 16 more recipes and information on Irish beef. The consumer offer is valid until mid-December.
Albert Heijn, the market leader in Holland, has long been recognised as the benchmark for quality standards in the marketplace. It is part of the Ahold group and sells Irish beef under its Greenfields brand. The product is supplied by Donegal Meats and Slaney Meats in Ireland, with all packing for the 700 stores done centrally by Hilton Meats in Zaandam.
Konmar, Super de Boer, Jumbo and Deen, other major retailers, are all participating in another promotion which will highlight Irish beef for a four-week period in over 400 supermarkets throughout the Netherlands.
On-pack stickers will appear on promotional packs.
Jumbo has expanded in recent years and now has 70 stores. It is a very important customer for Irish Beef in the Dutch market.
The majority of its stores is supplied by Galtee (Exel, Dawn, Liffey, Kepak, Moy Valley) with Groothedde (AIBP) supplying 12-15 franchise outlets. A total of 250 Super de Boer stores are supplied centrally by Groothedde Vaasen (AIBP), with product distributed to stores.
