SHANGHAI, Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- METRO China actively engages in the 18th Food & Hospitality China (FHC) 2014 trade show opened today, showcasing its new Cash & Carry store concept, solutions dedicated to hotels, restaurants, catering (HoReCa) customers, and its leadership in quality and food safety. As a renowned international exhibition, the 18th FHC 2014 mainly targets food, drink, hospitality, food service, bakery and retail industries.
"It is our great pleasure to be part of the 18th FHC 2014, one of the most influential exhibitions of its kind in Asia and China. This clearly demonstrates our business focus on the gastronomy professionals. HoReCa is one of the core target customer groups for METRO China. We are committed to supporting HoReCa customers to win in this highly competitive market, by providing quality and safe gastronomic assortments, one-stop solutions, and innovative value-added services," said Jeroen de Groot, President of METRO China, adding that the company is also showcasing its new cash and carry store concept which is meant to further improve services to customers.
Cash & Carry upgrades offer customized services
To stay relevant to professional customers, METRO China constantly evolves its concept to adapt to the ever-changing market. The highlight of METRO booth is its recently unveiled Cash & Carry new store concept. The new concept not only provides a welcoming environment and upgraded services to customers, but also enables HoReCa customers to get connected.
For instance, "Inspiration Corner" showcased at METRO booth is a communication and exchange platform for professional customers and culinary experts in HoReCa industry, where they can hold food and wine tasting sessions, and cooking demonstrations to exchange product knowledge and best practices. Right beside it, "METRO Cafe" is a comfortable area for customer to take a break during shopping, offering free self-service coffee, computers, printers and free Wi-Fi.
In addition to the setup of METRO's booth, the company also sponsors METRO Asia Fine Food Buffet. Tasting of sizzling beef tenderloin, cod fish, and salmon, cooking experience sharing by Bocuse d'Or China team and winners of 2014 METRO China Canteen Chef Competition, a series of activities organized by METRO China make the exhibition dynamic and exciting.
Quality and safe gastronomic solutions meets HoReCa customers' needs
As a preferred partner for HoReCa customers, METRO China serves more than 223,000 hotels, restaurants, canteens and catering companies. In addition to high value own brands particularly developed for HoReCa industry, such as HoReCa Select, Rioba, and H-Line, METRO also delivers customized solutions, such as breakfast solutions and beverage solutions for hotels, tailor-made fresh product baskets for restaurants, and portion products for canteens, etc. Focused on HoReCa customers, METRO China's new strategic business channel Food Service Delivery (FSD) further provides state-of-the-art services such as convenient delivery and food processing.
To better meet HoReCa customers' needs, METRO China offers a particularly wide range of fresh products. In order to ensure the highest standard of quality and food safety, METRO's Star Farm traceability system not only strictly selects the best farmers as business partners, trains them to use good agricultural practices, but also monitors the whole supply chain from farm to market. Among about 2,600 traceable products developed, 85% are fresh products. Moreover, METRO recently initiated an optimization program for ultra-fresh products, offering richer assortment, better presentation and visibility, and more purchasing convenience for customers. As a recognition of METRO's expertise in the fresh category, the 16th FHC China International Culinary Arts Competition selects METRO as the sponsor of chicken for main course of the competition.
About METRO Cash & Carry
METRO Cash & Carry is represented in 28 countries with over 750 self-service wholesale stores. With a headcount of about 110,000 employees worldwide, the wholesale company achieved sales of about EUR32 billion in the financial year 2012/2013. METRO Cash & Carry is a sales division of METRO GROUP. METRO GROUP is one of the largest and most important international retailing companies. During the financial year 2012/13 (pro forma), it generated sales of about EUR66 billion. The company operates around 2,200 stores in 31 countries and has a headcount of around 250,000 employees. The performance of METRO GROUP is based on the strength of its sales brands that operate independently in their respective market segments: METRO/MAKRO Cash & Carry -- the international leader in self-service wholesale -- Media Markt and Saturn -- the European market leader in consumer electronics retailing -- Real hypermarkets and Galeria Kaufhof department stores.
More information at: www.metrogroup.de
Profile of METRO China
In 1996, METRO Cash & Carry, the international leader in self-service wholesale, opened its first wholesale store in the international metropolis of Shanghai. The company was among the first to gain permission from the China Central Government to set up chain operations in all major cities in China. Over the last decade, the company has set its foot already in 54 cities with 78 outlets in operation in China. With a headcount of over 11,000 employees, the wholesaler is serving more than 3.8 million buying customers across the country.
More information at: www.metro.com.cn
