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HEINEKEN has a
unique footprint
in Europe which
closely matches
that of our largest
customers.
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Heineken
Increasing the availability of chilled beer
through Heineken®-branded fridges
improves impulse purchases.
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Heineken
that of some of our customers. We see
this as a clear competitive advantage.
We are matching a trend in which our
customers are also becoming bigger
and more international. We know we
can have a positive relationship with
our international partners, and they can
see the benefits in this new way
of working too."
Ross is also quick to emphasise, however,
that there is still a great deal of growth
potential with local customers who don't
want, or are not in a position to work,
on this international level. "This new
way of working is by no means exclusive
to our international customers - it also
works with national customers," he
says. "Through joint business-planning
processes, we first evaluate how a
particular retailer is performing versus
the market, their customers' shopping
habits, which segments they are over- and
underperforming in, and so on. From this,
we can identify opportunities that will
drive beer sales in that outlet, validate
these with the customer, and then work
with them to create solutions."
Meeting Local Needs
"This kind of process is the same,
whether you're Carrefour international,
Esselunga in Italy or Sainsbury's in
the UK. What makes it different when
working with Carrefour, though, is that
we can simply integrate the solutions
into an international approach from
the bottom up. As the solutions are
often similar across the board, we can
share best practices and roll them out
quicker." One example of successfully
sharing best practices Europe-wide is
the in-store stadium Heineken® built in
Carrefour's Spanish stores during this
year's Champions League. It was so
well received by both the customer and
consumer that it will be rolled out to
other markets next year.
"A fundamental part of our growth plan
is to leverage the growth of Heineken®,
and that's our number one priority in
Europe," concludes Ross. "Because of the
brand's premium nature, we want to make
sure that Heineken® is at the core of the
growth strategy for every customer
plan. It brings value to the category,
and it's a point of difference versus
our competitors."
10
World of HEINEKEN
Autumn 2011
