My guest in this episode is Joeri Perneel, CEO of NEXGEN Europe. Together we discuss his experience in the cannabis industry and the challenges linked with being a pioneer in a difficult new segment. We also discuss the launch of a new range, destined to fuel a wellness category in retail.

In this episode I chat with Chun Kay Tang from Mollie about the European e-commerce report. This study reveals a few interesting insights on consumers’ online behaviour.

Climate change affects various aspects of our life and our industries. It is of course also the case in the wine production. But we need to understand the effects in details and also analyse every region and country differently. Perhaps, the effects of climate change are not the same everywhere? Therefore, the answer to climate change should not be the same everywhere. These are all valid questions don’t you think?  So, I thought it would be interesting to take a case and to see how the...

Consuming less meat could help the environment. To convince you to adopt this habit, you could try the Week without meat. The event started in 2018 in the Netherlands and it is now rolling out to Belgium, with the ambition to conquer Europe and its consumers. To tell you more about the concept, Isabel Boerdam, the founder of the idea came on the Retail Influencer to have a chat

AI is a hot topic in retail at the moment. But to make sure the hype is here to stay; the market needs to see concrete and efficient applications. To help us see a bit more clearly on the topic, David Grunewald, AI strategist came for a chat. 

The technique of Buy now pay later is probably familiar to you. But how is it perceived by consumers and how useful is it for retailers? These are valid questions and a recent study by Lightspeed sheds some light on the perception of this concept. Ewout van Rossum, Regional Manager Retail Benelux at Lightspeed came to explain the results of the study.

Wine production in Belgium has evolved considerably in recent years, both in terms of quality and volume. Belgian winemakers are exporting all over the world, and retailers are taking an increasing interest in the phenomenon.  Delhaize is even a forerunner in this field: in addition to reserving a place for Belgian winemakers on its shelves, the retailer has even collaborated with one of them to create its own brand of Belgian wine, Leo Vinum.  To talk about this project, my guests are...

The Anuga is coming up. So, Jan Philipp Hartmann, the Director of the event is my guest in this episode. Together we chat about the upcoming event which brings together food professionals from all over the world to Cologne.

Let's talk about the word that's on everyone's lips at the moment in Belgian food retail: franchising.  Though, let me reassure you. This episode isn't about shooting red-hot bullets at the concept. Nor am I going to start giving you a ladleful of stores with and without picket lines.  No, it's more like a bunch of questions that have been running through my head since early March.

As a young entrepreneur or startup, the dream is to approach retail buyers directly. But the process can be sometimes confusing, time consuming, and even frustrating when trying to find your right category manager.  So good news to all young manufacturers out there as Delhaize and RangeMe announced their new partnership.  From now on, a matchmaking digital system exists. So as a young entrepreneur you can simply use the new platform and be put directly in contact with the right department...

To determine and optimise your pricing policy is quite crucial. Some of you might have heard or consider to use the Yield Management approach. But is it suitable for you ? What are the advantages?  The best is to ask an expert and I have the pleasure to welcome Valentine Dreyfuss from Mercio. She helps us get a better understanding on the subject.

Our topic in this episode are payment trends. CCV recently published its yearly Pulse report listing a few of the major trends in payment methods. Sam Arckens, the CCO of CCV came to guide us through the report. 

Many reconsider their meat consumption and nobody denies that plant based alternatives are a necessity on the shelves. But did consumers really abandon meat? and should alternatives be allowed to use whichever name they want just for marketing purposes? To discuss these points, my guest for this episode is Michael Gore, Managing Director of FEBEV (the Belgian Meat Federation). 

Robots are a trend in retail at the moment. But there are many different aspects of the value chains that see robots involved. In this episode we look at warehouse robots in particular, and to discuss this topic, my guest is Wim Vermeir Expert Warehouse robotics at Exotec

In comments or through feedback, many of you told me that you listen to this podcast with a coffee in your hand. Well you will  be happy to know more about the one in your mug as it is this episode’s topic.  Guillaume Bergiers is Category Manager at Delhaize Belgium and we had a chat about the coffee category and the Brand Latitude 28. You will discover that coffee today needs to be more than just a good roast. Fairtrade, quality and affordability become key requirements for the segment. 

When talking about food retail, the name Deliveroo still seems surprising for many. However, the company has developed strongly and is making its mark in the delivery sector. In this episode, Yoann Antoine, Head of Retail, explains the rise of Deliveroo in retail and unveils the next developments of the group.

Sustainability is one of the major concerns in retail today. But to truly do something about it, manufacturers and retailers should measure their impact with the best precision possible.  inoqo offers impact assessments for all food & beverage products so one can make informed decisions to create a more sustainable business module. Markus Linder Founder of INOQO participates in this episode to explain why product assessment is necessary but also useful to take better informed decisions. 

An efficient pricing approach is essential for retailers and especially in the current economic context.  In this episode, my guest is Rémi Casanova from Pricemoov who helps us understand the effects of inflation and gives advice on which areas retailers and manufacturers should focus. 

To implement reusable packaging in a sustainable system is a key challenge for catering and food retail businesses. To help companies in this sustainable transition, Jan Patzer and Lennart Heynercreated Crafting Future. The young start-up helps develop and produce sustainable packaging, but it also advises companies when it comes to develop a circular model. In this episode I chat with both cofounders about the different aspects of their vision but also recycling, deposit systems and many more. 

Urban farming is a relatively recent concept. Many pilot projects are developed and the idea is to make cities more sustainable and self-sufficient. Technology and know-how are necessary but profitability also needs to be achieved. With this in mind, my guest in this episode is Jens Krogshede, Co-Founder and CEO at Nabo Farm. Together we chat about the young start-up’s experience with urban farming, but also about the technological side and a new software designed to help the new generation...

What to do with plastic at the end of its life? That is the question, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be great if we could still find a way to transform these plastics into something useful? Well, it seems that a specific insect, the Galleria mellonella might be a solution. In this episode, Nathalie Berezina from Norbite explains how this insect can digest and transform plastics into proteins, lipids and biofertilizers. These can then be used in various industries for feed, cosmetics and more. 

Today a packaging needs to be sustainable and this means many different things. (Reuse, Recycle, Compost etc…). But there is also another major trend in the packaging industry which focuses on digitalisation. So, what does it imply? Concretely what applications and achievements are made today? To discuss this digitalisation I invited Greet Vanoppen, Strategy & Design Leader at .becoming belgium.

The world faces conditions such as diabetes or malnutrition. Therefore, educating consumers is quite an important challenge. Retailers and brands even make it a pillar in their plans as they have a major role to play.  And to address the challenge, initiatives such as the ones my guests started might help. Tuulia Järvinen and Laura Holland founded Venner Nutrition and took on the task of empowering families to live healthy and happy lives. In this episode, you will hear about improving food...

Covid, supply chain, the Ukrainian conflict... The crises follow one another. It makes you wonder if a startup can still launch itself and make its mark on the market.  Yet some do, and the buzzword to describe them is resilience. To talk about this term and no doubt inspire you, my guest today is Gary Garnier-Guisgand from Nespart. Together we talk about Kidywolf, a brand of toys and objects for children that launched at the end of 2019 and that despite successive crises has established...

In this episode we are talking about a well known system in the food industry, the Nutriscore. The concept is designed to help consumers identify healthy products. It is a visual attempt to simplify the nutritional value of food product. But since the introduction of the system, it has also been described as far from perfect. Therefore in this episode with my guest, Aris Christodoulou, Founder and President at SIGA, we put the Nutriscore under the microscope.  Listen to it on this episode...