銆€銆€2010骞�鑰冪爺鑻辫獮鏂伴鍨嬫憳鑷狹cKinsey Quarterly(楹ヨ偗閷鍒�)涓竴绡囬鐐篈 wholesale shift in European groceries鐨勬枃绔�锛屽師鏂囧涓嬶細

銆€銆€A wholesale shift in European groceries

銆€銆€European grocers could satisfy their appetite for growth鈥攊f they knew where to look銆�

銆€銆€FEBRUARY 2003 • Javier Castrillo, Jose Manuel Martinez, and Dieter Messner

銆€銆€Retail sales of food and drink in Europe鈥檚 largest markets are at a standstill, leaving European grocery retailers hungry for opportunities to grow. Most leading retailers have already tried e-commerce, with limited success, and expansion abroad, often with more. But almost all have ignored the big, profitable opportunity in their own backyard: the wholesale food and drink trade, which appears to be just the kind of market retailers need銆�

銆€銆€Wholesale food and drink sales in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (together representing about three-quarters of the European market) came to ?66 billion ($167.9 billion) in 2000鈥攎ore than 40 percent of retail sales. Moreover, average overall margins are higher in wholesale than in retail; wholesale demand from the food service sector is growing quickly as more Europeans eat out more often; and changes in the competitive dynamics of this fragmented industry are at last making it feasible for wholesalers to consolidate.  All in all, this clearly seems to be a market in which big retailers could profitably apply their gigantic scale, existing infrastructure, and proven skills in the management of product ranges, logistics, and marketing intelligence銆�

銆€銆€Retailers that master the intricacies of wholesaling in Europe stand to reap substantial gains thereby

銆€銆€At least, that is how it looks in the aggregate. Closer inspection reveals important differences among the biggest national markets, especially in their customer segments and wholesale structures, as well as the competitive dynamics of individual food and drink categories. Big retailers must understand these differences before they can identify the segments of European wholesaling in which their particular abilities might unseat smaller but entrenched competitors. New skills and unfamiliar business models are needed too.  But none of these requirements should deter large retailers (and even some large food producers and existing wholesalers) from trying their hand, for those that master the intricacies of wholesaling in Europe stand to reap considerable gains銆�

銆€銆€A map of wholesaling

銆€銆€Despite variations in detail, wholesale markets in the countries we have examined closely鈥擣rance, Germany, Italy, and Spain鈥攁re made out of the same building blocks. Demand comes mainly from two sources: independent mom-and-pop grocery stores, which unlike large retail chains are too small to buy direct from producers, and food service operators that cater to consumers when they don鈥檛 eat at home. Such food service operators range from snack machines to large institutional catering ventures, but most of these businesses are known in the trade as "horeca": hotels, restaurants, and caf茅s (or, in some countries, catering).1

銆€銆€On the supply side, there are two types of wholesalers. Cash-and-carry ones operate stores, similar to warehouses, where they sell food and drink, mostly to traditional retailers and smaller horeca.2 Customers select and take away their purchases themselves. Delivery wholesalers, by contrast, deliver goods from their warehouses direct to their customers, mostly midsize or large food service operators. Both types of wholesalers abound in each food category, but delivery wholesalers are particularly numerous; generally small, local family businesses, they supply 50 to 60 percent of the market in all countries. Cash-and-carry outlets serve 10 to 20 percent of it, and other intermediaries, such as retail hypermarkets and a few food manufacturers, supply the rest銆�

銆€銆€Overall, Europe鈥檚 wholesale market for food and drink is growing at the same sluggish pace as the retail market, but the aggregate figures mask two opposing trends. The first and more important is the consumer鈥檚 growing preference for eating out: consumption of food and drink in places other than homes has risen from about 32 percent of total consumption in 1995 to 35 percent in 2000 and is expected to approach 38 percent by 2005 (Exhibit 1). This development is boosting wholesale demand from the food service segment by 4 to 5 percent a year across Europe, compared with growth in retail demand of 1 to 2 percent. Moreover, demographic change鈥攑articularly the increase in the proportion of older, wealthier people in the population鈥攚ill probably sustain this pattern銆�

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