It is one of the most important awards presented within food retailing: The 'Retail Award'. Leading German market research institute GfK SE surveys 9,000 households on behalf of Fruchthandel Magazin, looking for their their opinion of the fruit and vegetable ranges offered by the various retail groups. This year's results once again left those responsible at tegut... beaming: The organic pioneer from Hesse was once again able to secure first place, said to be leading the best fruit and vegetable assortment in the organic products category. Central questions that led to the result of the study were, for example: How do consumers rate the range of fresh fruit and vegetables on offer in hypermarkets, supermarkets and discounters? Which shopping venues are particularly appreciated by consumers?
Award winner Thorsten Heil (Head of Purchasing / Category Management Fruit, Vegetables, Flowers & Eggs) is delighted with the award.
Thorsten Heil, Head of Purchasing Fruit and Vegetables at tegut..., is very pleased about the award and the trust that customers place in tegut...: "We have now won first place in this category for the fourth time in a row and for the sixth time overall. The customer obviously knows that we don't offer organic because it's 'in' at the moment and because everyone is doing it. For us, organic is not a trend; it is based on our convictions. And the customer notices that."
tegut... has consciously relied on contract farming since the 1980s. Today, all tegut... organic products in the fruit and vegetable sector are association goods, with Demeter accounting for the largest share, Heil goes on. "Almost 100% of our contract partners in Germany are certified according to the strict guidelines of the cultivation associations, and we are very proud of that." These long-term partnerships mean that the quality and taste of the products can be constantly developed."
Heil promises to take this new award as motivation to stay the course and not let up: "We will continue to do everything we can to offer customers the best organic fruit and vegetable assortment."
The Retail Award is one of the most important indicators of consumer sentiment for food retailers, as the award winners are nominated directly by customers through their ratings, so to speak.