Following acquisition of Delta Maxi earlier this year, Delhaize is now looking across Europe for its growth. Pierre-Olivier Beckers, CEO of the Delhaize Group, told a Belgian business publication: “Previously we were present as Delhaize in Europe especially in Belgium and Greece and to a lesser extent in Romania. But through the acquisition of Delta Maxi, we suddenly found ourselves in five additional countries and we have the ambition to grow more and faster in Europe in the coming years.”
   The retailer will be relying on a central management team to accelerate expansion in Europe. “They can take quick decisions, which makes a huge difference. We have changed the structure in order to put more speed in the company which allows the company to be even more flexible,” he said. By the end of 2012, a good level of integration in the areas of procurement, financial systems and reporting should be achieved.
   How will the centralised approach affect product variety? “The assortment is definitely not the same across countries,” Mr. Beckers said, “but in fresh products we see tremendous opportunities to work together in purchasing meat, fruit and vegetables. Similarly for non-food products, especially from Asia and China, our own-brand products are increasingly the same. Purchasing is done together.”