Since 2020, Kersten Matthys has held the position of European Category Director Sourcing Not-for-Resale (NfR) at Ahold Delhaize. It's a role that makes him incredibly happy because it brings together his passion for food retail and his desire to optimize operations. You could call it a classic case of ‘the best of both worlds’. "If we can ensure that all our team members derive joy and satisfaction from their work, and that the customer enjoys the ultimate shopping experience, I am content."
When you step into one of Ahold Delhaize’s local brand stores, everything you see that's not for sale has passed through the hands of the NfR team, a part of the European Business Services (EBS) division. EBS is the organization within Ahold Delhaize that helps its great local brands achieve their strategic goals. EBS creates data-driven insights, solutions, and savings for all local brands, helping them achieve their strategic goals. Its efforts may not always be immediately apparent or widely recognized. In this sense, EBS operates as a subtle yet impactful force behind the scenes.
As the Category Director Sourcing NfR, Kersten Matthys oversees the purchase of every item. that is not sold to customers. From cash registers and shelves to shopping carts and refrigeration units: it’s all in his scope. His overarching goal? Harmony and consistency across all European stores. "Why reinvent the wheel for each country? It makes more sense to put all our good ideas and experiences together to create a winning store concept that we can deploy across all our EU countries to unlock value and save costs. By leveraging economies of scale, we can significantly reduce costs. Our vision is for every Ahold Delhaize store in Europe to have the same look. The same floors, same display units, same lighting – that's my primary aim."
Although the business hasn’t quite reached that point yet, substantial progress has been made. "The Central and Southern European countries – including the Czech Republic, Romania, Greece, and Serbia – are making great strides toward a uniform store concept. Until recently, these countries were sourcing cooling cabinets from six different suppliers. Now, they’re down to just two. Having two suppliers is a safety measure, but in reality, only one tends to handle the majority of the supply. The same goes for shelving, lighting, and many other NfR elements. Seeing the best solutions applied across multiple countries is what fuels my passion and energy for the job.”
A seamless team effort
Kersten is certainly not short on either passion or energy, and draws motivation from both his work and his dynamic team. Comprising 15 individuals located across Europe, the team represents a diverse blend of backgrounds and cultures. "Though our backgrounds may vary, our shared commitment to implement the most innovative and cost-efficient solutions unites us as a team. I'm incredibly proud of how seamlessly we work together. There's a collective mindset and drive deeply ingrained in us. The fact that the team is scattered across Europe and only meets face-to-face occasionally doesn't have any impact on that.”
The team’s guiding principles are to infuse innovation into everything store-related so that operations become smarter and more efficient, and to replicate best practices and proven solutions across all EU brands. Over the past few years, they’ve achieved several successes that Kersten takes pride in. One example is the Dry Misting technology that Kersten’s team introduced across different countries, such as the Netherlands, Greece, Czech Republic, and Romania. This innovative system not only ensures the freshness and nutrition of the fresh produce section but also plays a significant role in reducing plastic usage and minimizing food waste.
Another case is the launch of yearly Supplier Innovation Days where the team invites existing and potential suppliers to pitch their most innovative solutions to their European stakeholders. They’ve been running these events for three years now and several innovations, like indoor navigation, have been implemented in their Dutch stores. With this new invention, customers can find the products they’re looking for by simply using their smartphone as a GPS to guide them to the right place in the store.
Robotic cleaning to the rescue
The robotic cleaning machine also stands out as a prime example of how Kersten and his team bring innovation to the table. "Thanks to these machines, our associates no longer have to clean the stores’ floors manually, giving them more time to focus on customer interactions and other tasks. The robots are especially helpful in current times with staff shortages being commonplace. It's a win-win situation: customers get to enjoy a spotless store, and the staff don’t have to get their hands dirty with unpleasant cleaning tasks. Currently, we have over 100 robotic cleaning machines in operation in stores throughout the Czech Republic and Serbia. Recently, we launched a pilot in three Albert Heijn stores in the Netherlands. We’ll consider our mission a success when every Ahold Delhaize store in Europe has swapped manual floor cleaning for the precision of robotic cleaning machines.”
It’s safe to say that Kersten was born into his line of work. "During the early years of my life, my family and I lived with my grandparents, on the same premises as their large butchery. The entire family worked there. We later moved and my mother took over the family's grocery store. I literally grew up in the food retail industry. On top of that, there are few activities I enjoy more than building things, improving them, rebuilding them, and then refining them once more. I'm a huge LEGO fan. As a kid, I used to spend hours working on 20 iterations of the same structure. No instruction manual involved; I made everything based on my own ideas. In my current role, it all comes together: my love of food retail and my focus on continuous improvement. Landing this job was an absolute dream come true."
Name: Kersten Matthys (1976)
Started working at Ahold Delhaize: May 2018
Studied: Postgraduate degree in European Company Management, HOGENT (2000)
Living with: My fiancée, Barbara (we’re finally getting married this summer after 17 years together), our son, Jef (15), and our daughter, Nora (13)
Hobbies: Cycling, hiking and going on road trips with friends
Wake me up in the middle of the night for: Anything fun, like dancing or going out
Favorite holiday destination: Nowhere in particular, but I do love being in the mountains
Life-changing event: The birth of my two children, and starting this job in 2020
Biggest source of inspiration: A guy called Jef. I've encountered a few individuals named Jef in my life, and each one of them has been quite extraordinary and truly inspiring.
Best advice I’ve ever received: ‘Don’t assume; ask’
