Scan Magazine | Business | Enterprise Denmark
differentiated VAT on food; in our opinion, the health of the people should be much higher up on the political agenda.” Despite the focus on healthy produce, KIWI’s name does not refer to the fruit; it derives from the first two letters of the surnames of its founders, Thor Kirkeng and Svend Wike.
Loyalty and rewards KIWI’s success is not just based on its special prices on fruit and vegetables, but also its focus on quality and loyalty rewards. This means, for instance, that parents not only get a free piece of fruit for their kids while shopping; they also get every fourth pack of Libero nappies for free. Besides, says Nielsen, the stores offer a selection of high-quality products unmatched by other budget
stores. “When it comes to our range of groceries, we distinguish ourselves in a way that is mainly possible because we do not have as many stores as some of the bigger chains. For instance, thanks to an exclusive deal, all the beef sold in our stores is from Himmerland cattle, and that has enabled us to provide a quality guarantee to our customers: if they’re not happy with the quality of the beef, they get their money back.” Likewise, instead of the commonly sold bake-off bread, KIWI sells freshly baked quality bread from GuldBageren (a Danish artisan bakery).
Moreover, the chain has, as the only budget store in Denmark, added a number of up-sized stores to its portfolio. KIWI+ is double the size of a regular budget store and offers an even wider assortment of products. “It’s sort of like a hybrid between a regular supermarket and a budget store, which means that you get the best of both worlds,” Nielsen explains. “For our customers the advantage is obvious – they can do all their shopping easily and cheaply, and that’s something many other concepts struggle to achieve because, for the majority of customers, time is their most valuable resource.” ABOUT THOMAS NIELSEN:
Quick and easy With around 3,000 products in their regular stores, KIWI is one of the broadestassorted budget stores in Denmark.
Age: 36 Position at KIWI: Sales director (COO) Education: E-MBA, DTU (on-going) Bachelor of Economics & Leadership Started in his career as a Management Trainee in 2001.
THE KIWI MISSION AND VISION: Vision: KIWI aspires to be Denmark’s healthiest budget store.
KIWI sells all fruit and vegetables VAT-free and also lobbies for Danish politicians to remove VAT from healthy produce.
All beef sold in KIWI’s stores is from Himmerland cattle.
Mission: KIWI wants to ensure that everybody can afford a healthy diet easily, cheaply and quickly – and with a smile.
For more information, please visit: www.kiwi.dk
Sales director Thomas Nielsen has built a strong brand for KIWI with a bold and attention-grabbing strategy.
Issue 90 | July 2016 | 69
