Delhaize and Foodmaker are structuring their partnership: the supermarket chain will become the exclusive “main franchisee” of the Foodmaker restaurant concept in Belgium and Luxembourg and will be responsible for further developing the network.
Foundation
Delhaize and Foodmaker have been working together for over a decade: Foodmaker’s products can be found in all of the retailer’s outlets and on its website. Delhaize also has 150 Foodmaker salad bars, where customers can assemble their salad.
The partnership is now being significantly expanded, with a clear division of roles between both partners. Delhaize will become the exclusive operator of the restaurant concept and will be responsible for developing the existing network. Foodmaker, on the other hand, will continue to be responsible for the design of the restaurants and the creation of the dishes.
Expansion
Delhaize wants to open three new Foodmaker restaurants this year and aims to add five new restaurants to the network every year from 2022 onwards. In terms of operations, the supermarket chain is now focusing on the new restaurants. “We will take a look at the existing restaurants later”, says spokesperson Roel Dekelver.
The first new locations are known already, with the orientation clearly geared towards business environments. For example, there will be a new branch in the Covent Garden building (Brussels North), which is currently being rented by the European Commission. There are also plans for a restaurant in the new headquarters of BNP Paribas Fortis in Brussels.
Delivery
Finally, both partners want to test the home and office delivery market. The first experiments in this field are already underway, including through Foodmaker Bascule (Uccle).
“For us, this is the perfect partnership”, says Lieven Vanlommel, founder and CEO of Foodmaker. “Delhaize and Foodmaker clearly share the same mission and want to make healthy food easy and accessible for everyone. Through this collaboration, we are genuinely going to help people eat more healthily.”
