In addition to its branches at the Foodcenter in Amsterdam and the Forepark in Leidschendam, Fresh Food will open a third branch in Amstelveen this spring. The new 2,600 m² building fulfills a long-held wish for owner Vince van Vliet. "I always wanted a nice, big, covered building. We succeeded, as the building in Amstelveen is four times bigger than our other branches."
At its current location at the Amsterdam Foodcenter, Fresh Food operates from smaller premises. "Here we move about eighty pallets out every morning, rain or shine. That causes quite a bit of wastage, and we wanted to eliminate that. The opening hours of the Foodcenter also hinder us, as customers can only access the market at 5 a.m. Every day, customers ask if we can open earlier. At our branch in The Hague, we've been opening between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. for years, and we'll do the same in Amstelveen. Moreover, the new building plans at the center have been delayed for quite some time. That's why we started looking elsewhere for suitable premises."
In red: the location of Fresh Food's new premises
"We were looking for a new location between Amsterdam and The Hague. Due to the proximity to Schiphol Airport, premises in Nieuw-Vennep and Hoofddorp are nearly impossible to find, so we ended up in Amstelveen. In terms of size, this property is perfect for expanding our activities. It has some excellent dock shelters. We're planning to install about 600 m² of refrigeration, and the rest will be a spacious Cash & Carry," says Vince enthusiastically. "The advantage of this new building is that we can more easily accommodate a truckload of apples, for example, all at once. That also significantly reduces purchase costs. From Amstelveen, we can then distribute a few pallets to Amsterdam and The Hague for individual customers."
Starting from 3 February, the premises will be prepared as a fresh produce wholesaler. "If everything goes according to plan, we'll be able to move in as early as spring, but that depends on the construction and delivery time of the refrigeration," Vince explains. He plans to transfer several staff members from The Hague and Amsterdam to the new branch. "These are all young guys who are eager to work hard, so I'm not worried about staffing."
Fresh Food will sell a wide range of products across its various branches. "We always have standard vegetables like aubergines, courgettes, and peppers for sale. Green asparagus and sugar snaps aren't available every day, but we sell all kinds of produce. If bananas are cheap, we stock ten pallets; if they're expensive, we have two or three," says Vince, who is optimistic about the future of the Cash & Carry. "I'm confident that in the new premises, I can sell more to our existing customers and attract new ones as well."
Currently, the Hague branch primarily serves the Hague market, where three to four full trolleys of goods are sent out on a busy Friday. From Amsterdam, larger customers in the surrounding area are served, including market traders and foreign supermarkets. "We are a reliable partner because we do what we say and say what we do. That approach pays off," says Vince, who represents the third generation of the Van Vliet family in the fresh produce trade.
For more information:
Vince van Vliet
Fresh Food
Langevaart 43
2231 GB Rijnsburg
n.paddenburg@freshfood-amsterdam.nl
www.freshfoodamsterdam.nl