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FeedsHome: Issue 1 2010 › Fresh outlook
Fresh outlook
29/01/2010 | Channel: Retail, Food & Drink
With a portfolio covering over 40,000 products, ISPC holds a focus on discovering fresh and innovative concepts for the Belgian gastronomy sector
Offering a premier cash and carry service to the Belgium professional food industry, ISPC welcomes over 2000 customers through its doors every week helping to generate its impressive 70 million euro turnover. The organisation also offers a delivery service to clients such as restaurateurs from its two strategic locations in Liege and Gent. The comprehensive and wide portfolio offers 40,000 different products including not only food and drink articles, but also non-food products such as kitchen equipment and tableware, as well as an Easy-pro and Respect-pro range for discerning customers. The 200-strong staff base offers sound advice and a friendly face, looking to the company mission of providing a personal service where customers are known by name and are recognised for the job they do.
ISPC puts emphasis on three core areas, the first is in the provision of fresh products and daily food frozen lines including meat, vegetables and perishables. The second is in the discovery of new, innovative and authentic products, working with the food market to ascertain the latest need and exploring the industry to find the ideal products to meet this. The company introduces 400 new products to its portfolio every year from the European and world gastronomy sectors. The most recent addition to the portfolio is the highly topical Respect-Pro range, which offers products designed to meet the rising demand for sustainable sourcing. It covers elements such as scale of production, not using pesticides or hormones, traceability, reliability and hygiene, while looking for naturally grown food brands as well as fair trade. This line has become a brand in its own right and was created in response to the huge amount of awareness food professionals have for this type of range. Finally, ISPC works with the food community in the sharing of information and activities.
Instead of developing its own products, the company has category management divisions, which are internationally orientated and work alongside product groups to discover new innovations. Moreover, ISPC ensures its attendance at industry exhibitions and events to remain in touch with key clients and concepts. “As a cash and carry wholesaler we are number one in Belgium, with 80 per cent of our turnover coming from this area. Professional people come into our store to discover new ideas and to get advice, and in this way we are quite unique,” Jan de Kimpe, director general of ISPC explains. “We visit a lot of exhibitions both large and small to get a view on the latest developments. HORECA Expo is a large Belgian exhibition that we attend and have a stand at every year. Such events provide an ideal platform for meeting our clients personally and presenting our latest ranges to the industry.”
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For the future, Jan has plans to place investment in the merchandising and sales areas of ISPC’s stores in order to strengthen the company’s position in Belgium even further. The delivery side of the business generates only 20 per cent of its turnover and as such a great deal of time and money will be put into its development. The strategic Gent location is also expecting enhancement in its export facility, which helps serve over 25,000 clients worldwide. In addition, the organisation is investigating the possibility of opening a new store as Belgian customers begin to look for evermore original and diverse food products for retail use. As a recognised partner for the food and restaurant industry, ISPC’s popularity continues to soar, and potential locations at the centre of the country will be investigated for 2011.
Jan outlines ISPC’s cores strengths in the industry: “We are set part from competitors by the fresh assortment of products we present every day. The diverse range of fish, meat, poultry and vegetables we offer is unrivalled in the market and there is no one else with such a facility for new and fresh products. Our customers have come to understand that our items are authentic as well as innovative. If we advertise a product as being Turkish, then it will have been sourced and produced in Turkey, not imported and made in Belgium. We are also proud to host a number of in-store activities including workshops every month, which aim to educate and inform our clients on the latest industry news. It gives our customers a chance to question our knowledgeable staff, taste new concepts and build on their relationship with us. It is part of the spirit of our company that a positive association is made with our clients and their gourmet businesses which is based on trust, reliability and longevity.”
Founded on a 40-year history of quality and excellence, ISPC is set to continue its faultless and highly successful relationship with the Belgian hospitality sector. As a recognised trend-setter in the market, the organisation looks to provide a fresh outlook by investigating the latest in both food and non-food concepts for professionals, and as such is hoping to develop its prominence beyond the home market and into the export sector.
ISPC
Employees: 200
Service: Cash & carry food products
ISPC puts emphasis on three core areas, the first is in the provision of fresh products and daily food frozen lines including meat, vegetables and perishables. The second is in the discovery of new, innovative and authentic products, working with the food market to ascertain the latest need and exploring the industry to find the ideal products to meet this. The company introduces 400 new products to its portfolio every year from the European and world gastronomy sectors. The most recent addition to the portfolio is the highly topical Respect-Pro range, which offers products designed to meet the rising demand for sustainable sourcing. It covers elements such as scale of production, not using pesticides or hormones, traceability, reliability and hygiene, while looking for naturally grown food brands as well as fair trade. This line has become a brand in its own right and was created in response to the huge amount of awareness food professionals have for this type of range. Finally, ISPC works with the food community in the sharing of information and activities.
Instead of developing its own products, the company has category management divisions, which are internationally orientated and work alongside product groups to discover new innovations. Moreover, ISPC ensures its attendance at industry exhibitions and events to remain in touch with key clients and concepts. “As a cash and carry wholesaler we are number one in Belgium, with 80 per cent of our turnover coming from this area. Professional people come into our store to discover new ideas and to get advice, and in this way we are quite unique,” Jan de Kimpe, director general of ISPC explains. “We visit a lot of exhibitions both large and small to get a view on the latest developments. HORECA Expo is a large Belgian exhibition that we attend and have a stand at every year. Such events provide an ideal platform for meeting our clients personally and presenting our latest ranges to the industry.”
')";>For the future, Jan has plans to place investment in the merchandising and sales areas of ISPC’s stores in order to strengthen the company’s position in Belgium even further. The delivery side of the business generates only 20 per cent of its turnover and as such a great deal of time and money will be put into its development. The strategic Gent location is also expecting enhancement in its export facility, which helps serve over 25,000 clients worldwide. In addition, the organisation is investigating the possibility of opening a new store as Belgian customers begin to look for evermore original and diverse food products for retail use. As a recognised partner for the food and restaurant industry, ISPC’s popularity continues to soar, and potential locations at the centre of the country will be investigated for 2011.
Jan outlines ISPC’s cores strengths in the industry: “We are set part from competitors by the fresh assortment of products we present every day. The diverse range of fish, meat, poultry and vegetables we offer is unrivalled in the market and there is no one else with such a facility for new and fresh products. Our customers have come to understand that our items are authentic as well as innovative. If we advertise a product as being Turkish, then it will have been sourced and produced in Turkey, not imported and made in Belgium. We are also proud to host a number of in-store activities including workshops every month, which aim to educate and inform our clients on the latest industry news. It gives our customers a chance to question our knowledgeable staff, taste new concepts and build on their relationship with us. It is part of the spirit of our company that a positive association is made with our clients and their gourmet businesses which is based on trust, reliability and longevity.”
Founded on a 40-year history of quality and excellence, ISPC is set to continue its faultless and highly successful relationship with the Belgian hospitality sector. As a recognised trend-setter in the market, the organisation looks to provide a fresh outlook by investigating the latest in both food and non-food concepts for professionals, and as such is hoping to develop its prominence beyond the home market and into the export sector.
ISPC
Employees: 200
Service: Cash & carry food products
