European Marketing Distribution AG accelerates its continuous growth and will hence operate intercontinentally: a new member in the EMD alliance – which includes Italian group Selex – is the Australian retailer Woolworths, Sydney. This new partnership means Woolworths will maximise the EMD network to procure volume for its private label product ranges. Thanks to cooperation with the Australian supermarket chain Woolworths, EMD increases the growth opportunity for its supplier base. Woolworths currently operates nearly 1000 supermarkets, in Australia, and more than 180 in New Zealand. With the newly joined Woolworths to the group, EMD represents a worldwide total turnover of more than 216 billion euros in 20 European countries now including Australia and New Zealand. The alliance represents the interests of about 400 trading companies and over 150,000 points of sales in every type of distribution, mainly in grocery retail.
ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES – Woolworths is focused on providing access to great quality food and non-food products to customers across Australia and have been known as the “Fresh Food People” for more than 30 years. The newly signed agreements are profitable for each and every member of EMD: additional and interesting opportunities for procurement of goods overseas are created for the European trading companies already belonging to the group alliance. The agreement between EMD and Woolworths relates initially to the private label business. Steve Greentree, Director, Woolworths Food Company, comments on the benefits of partnering with EMD: This collaboration will increase our access to great quality private label products that we are unable to source locally. Furthermore, the agreement will provide a direct network for Woolworths’ Australian and New Zealand suppliers to maximise investment and growth opportunities with European retailers. EMD Managing Director Philippe Gruyters said: The integration of procurement volumes in high demand and customer-oriented marketing activities brings considerable benefits for both the trading and the manufacturing sector in the Oceanian countries of Australia and New Zealand as well as in Europe.