Sligro Food Group, Greenyard strengthen partnership for fresh produce supply
Greenyard expands its role as a key supplier to Sligro Food Group, providing fresh fruit, vegetables, and potatoes to all Belgian stores.
BELGIUM – Sligro Food Group and Greenyard have announced a partnership that will enhance fresh produce distribution across Belgium.
Greenyard, a global supplier of fresh, frozen, and prepared fruit and vegetables, will now provide fresh potatoes, fruit, and vegetables to all Sligro stores in the country.
This agreement strengthens the relationship between the two companies, allowing Sligro to offer a wider selection of fresh produce while focusing on efficient supply chains and competitive pricing.
With this new agreement, Greenyard Fresh Belgium will supply fresh produce to all Sligro, Sligro-M, and JAVA locations. This move helps Sligro reinforce its standing as a leading wholesaler in the Belgian food service industry.
Koen Slippens, CEO of Sligro Food Group, emphasized the benefits of the partnership. “We want to respond to the needs of Belgian hospitality professionals and offer them the best possible range. The collaboration with Greenyard fits perfectly within that strategy. Thanks to its scale and strong Belgian roots, Greenyard can follow the market closely, helping us to ensure that our customers pay fair and competitive prices.”
He further added that Greenyard has its own companies on every continent, enabling it to purchase directly from growers worldwide, which directly contributes to the consistent quality of their products.
“For our customers, this new collaboration means a shorter chain and therefore greater freshness, a wide range that always reflects current market prices, and a maximum focus on local products where relevant.”
Francis Kint, CEO of Greenyard, highlighted the shared vision between both companies. “We are very happy with this collaboration with Sligro Food Group, which fits in perfectly with our vision of integrated partnerships and customer relations, which we call Integrated Customer Relations (ICR).”
According to Kint, Greenyard supplies a wide range of fresh produce and, thanks to this agreement, they will reach even more catering professionals.
“This is a long-term, transparent, and vertically integrated partnership in fresh fruit and vegetables. It emphasizes Greenyard’s commitment to implementing tailor-made cooperation models and to working sustainably with all our customers.”
He further emphasized that focus will be on unburdening their customers in every fruit and vegetable category so that they can fully concentrate on providing maximum service to their end customers.
Recent growth in Greenyard sales
The announcement comes as Greenyard reports growth in its financial performance. In the first nine months of the current financial year ending December 31, the company’s Like-for-Like (LfL) net sales increased by 5.6%, reaching €3,953.2 million compared to €3,742.4 million in the same period last year.
This rise was fueled by a 3.4% increase in volumes, a 1.4% increase in prices, and a slight growth of 0.8% in service sales.
The fresh segment saw a 6.4% increase in LfL net sales, growing from €3,017.3 million (US$4,269.46 million) to €3,211.8 million (US$4,269.46 million). This was largely driven by a 5.4% rise in volume, with prices increasing slightly by 0.4%.
The Long Fresh segment also experienced a 2.3% increase, reaching €741.4 million (US$800.71 million). However, this was offset by a 4.9% drop in volume, particularly in the canning business, despite price adjustments and transportation cost increases.
Greenyard remains confident in its long-term objectives. The company aims to achieve €5,400 million in sales and an adjusted EBITDA between €200 million (US$216 million) and €210 million (US$226.8 million) by March 2026.
Kint commented on the financial outlook, saying, “We are satisfied to see our top line growth, despite increased competitive pressure in the food industries. Today, the ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainties make consumers more thoughtful in their spending.”
“Yet, we remain convinced that the overriding trend of healthy and nutritious food supports our longer-term ambitions.”
With this expanded collaboration, both companies are set to reinforce their market positions while delivering high-quality fresh produce to customers throughout Belgium.
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