Adapting to a difficult environment

Sándor Kovács
domestic sales manager, METRO

Our magazine interviewed three key wholesalers that supply the hospitality sector about the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sándor Kovács, domestic sales manager of METRO informed that the protection measures of the government affected nearly 40,000 of their active hospitality partners in one way or another. METRO’s estimation is that more than 60 percent of their customers suspended their business operations. METRO’s horeca sales team receives those partners that have stayed open in the stores and also informs them about the current situation on the phone.

Balázs Matusz
CEO, Matusz-Vad

Balázs Matusz, president and CEO of Matusz-Vad Zrt. told: since they specialise in supplying the hospitality sector – mainly the top restaurants – they had to find new markets. This meant transforming their product portfolio in line with the new requirements, e.g. switching to smaller packaging units. Sales by the company dropped 80 percent in just 3 days back in March when the problems started.

Zoltán Máté Gödry 
MD-owner
Helit

Zoltán Máté Gödry, owner and managing director of Helit Kft. said they contacted those partners that continued operating with tailor-made offers during the pandemic emergency. The company reacted to the new market situation by giving private individuals the opportunity to buy from them online, too. Their sales were decreasing more and more as the situation was worsening: in two weeks’ time they suffered a 75-percent sales plunge.

Mr Matusz explained that after the reduction of their costs they started focusing on new sales channels, such as butcher’s shops and those grocery stores that don’t belong to a chain. In the next phase their online shop started serving consumers too. The third step was starting a packaging facility, so that they could sell their products to retailers. This way Matusz-Vad Zrt. managed to keep 80 percent of its 270 workers. They won’t cut prices to the detriment of product quality!

Along with restaurateurs, wholesalers also face a difficult situation

Mr Kovács explained that one of Metro’s market advantages is that their Cash&Carry stores cover the whole country. Their delivery service satisfies partner needs flexibly in just 24 hours. In order to guarantee the safe food supply of consumers, customers can now visit their stores without a METRO card too – all they need to do is register. Mr Gödry said that they intend to concentrate on supplying the horeca market in the future as well. They are trying to survive the current bad situation and will restructure the company in a way that it will meet the new-type requirements after the crisis. //