The Dutch grocery market is often viewed through the lens of Albert Heijn, Jumbo and the discount channel. Yet our recent tour of Superunie members revealed a different story. One where regional retailers, despite their smaller scale, are delivering some of the market’s most compelling ideas. 

Representing nearly 20% of the Dutch grocery market through a network of more than 1,500 stores, Superunie demonstrates how collaboration can create the scale needed to compete while preserving the individuality of local banners.  

Winning on value 

Value was impossible to miss across almost every retailer we visited. However, the strongest operators have moved beyond relying solely on promotions and are building value credibility throughout the shopping journey. 

PLUS’s ‘Laagblijvers’ programme permanently lowers prices on around 1,600 products, while Dirk reinforces its proposition with highly visible deals, shelf-edge messaging and weekly specials. Vomar and Hoogvliet use competitor comparisons to demonstrate price competitiveness, and DekaMarkt’s central promotional island borrows directly from the discounter playbook. 

Value is no longer something shoppers discover, it is something retailers actively communicate at every touchpoint.

Simplifying shopper decisions 

Dutch retailers excel at helping shoppers navigate complex categories. 

Wine was perhaps the standout example. Boon’s, DekaMarkt and Nettorama all use colour-coded segmentation to guide shoppers through taste profiles and food pairings, helping remove uncertainty from purchase decisions. Similar principles were evident in coffee, cheese and bakery departments, where signage, educational messaging and visual cues simplified choice. 

As ranges continue to expand, reducing decision fatigue is becoming an increasingly important competitive advantage. 

Organising around meal missions 

Many retailers are moving away from traditional category management and instead thinking more deeply about shopper missions. 

DekaMarkt’s meal kits and prepared foods proposition, PLUS’s impressive “Makerij” fresh meal concept and Boon’s thoughtful cross-merchandising all demonstrated a growing focus on making meal planning easier. Products are not simply placed within categories, they are brought together to solve shopper needs. 

The best examples showed how combining ingredients, prepared foods and meal inspiration can drive convenience while encouraging larger baskets. 

Retail media beyond the market leaders 

Retail media is no longer the preserve of the largest national chains. 

DekaMarkt and Hoogvliet have invested heavily in digital screens and in-store activation opportunities, while Hoogvliet stood out for its extensive use of branded bays that support awareness campaigns, product launches and shopper engagement initiatives. 

For suppliers, this creates a growing opportunity to activate shoppers through regional retailers that may have previously been overlooked in media plans. 

Blending retail and foodservice 

The line between supermarkets and foodservice continues to blur. 

PLUS was the strongest example, successfully combining ready-to-eat meals, food-to-go solutions and traditional grocery shopping within a single destination. SPAR’s University format has built an entire proposition around this trend, serving students with fresh meals, snacks, coffee and quick-commerce fulfilment. 

Retailers increasingly recognise that convenience extends well beyond product availability. It is about helping shoppers solve immediate consumption needs.

Building emotional connections 

Some of the most memorable moments from the trip had little to do with price or assortment. 

Hoogvliet’s commitment to family engagement was a standout. Its ‘High Five’ characters, play areas and children's activities transform grocery shopping into something enjoyable for younger shoppers. SPAR University similarly creates strong connections with students through playful design, social relevance and sustainability initiatives. 

Emotional loyalty is often built through memorable interactions rather than transactional advantages alone. 

Sustainability made visible 

Sustainability is becoming more visible and practical across Dutch retail. 

From Hoogvliet’s food waste initiatives and Vomar’s reduced-price bakery ranges to SPAR University’s recycling schemes and Too Good To Go participation, retailers are increasingly turning sustainability into a shopper-facing proposition. 

The strongest examples focus on making sustainable choices easy, tangible and rewarding rather than simply communicating corporate ambitions. 

The power of regional retail 

The overriding takeaway from the trip was that Superunie retailers are proving that scale alone does not determine innovation. 

While united by a powerful buying alliance and shared private-label capabilities, each banner retains a distinctive approach to value, convenience, shopper engagement and category management. Together, they offer a compelling reminder that some of the most interesting ideas in grocery retail are often found outside the industry's largest chains. 

Superunie's greatest strength is exactly what its name suggests, the sum is greater than the parts. 

Look out for our report ‘Superunie: the sum is greater than the parts’, available to Retail Analysis subscribers from 28 July 2026.