Success of the Foodmarket

Through the Deloitte Impact Foundation, Deloitte colleagues from Business Model Transformation (BMT) team use their expertise to support the Voedselbank Nederland in their mission to provide free food to people who are unable to buy food themselves. In this blog, Linda, Ivar and Arantxa share how they supported Voedselbank Amsterdam Zuid by defining the success of the Foodmarket (VoedselMarkt), a new supermarket concept of the Voedselbank. 

Combatting hunger by innovating

Currently over 30.000 families in the Netherlands receive a box filled with food supplies from the Voedselbank on a weekly basis. To provide a healthier assortment, increase flexibility and autonomy for clients, as well as make the going to the Foodbank a more considerate and respectful experience, the Voedselbank subsidiary in Amsterdam Zuid chose to implement the "Foodmarket”. In the Foodmarket, customers can choose their own groceries in a “regular” supermarket-like system. To successfully set up this innovative concept and test its benefits, the Voedselbank Amsterdam Zuid asked Deloitte for advice. 

Defining success

Ivar: “In the first phase of the project, which took place in the summer of 2019,  we focused on answering two main questions: how can we measure the success of the VoedselMarkt and how can we further roll out this concept to other Voedselbank subsidiaries in the Netherlands? By leading multiple workshops and conducting several interviews, we were able to identify 9 critical objectives and 9 KPIs to measure success. In addition, the measurement techniques were defined and we delivered a measurement plan of approach to ensure successful data collection during the pilot phase.”

View the news article and video of the opening.

Achieving success in times of crisis

Arantxa: ”After a successful pilot, the second phase of the project kicked-off in spring 2020 to evaluate the success of the VoedselMarkt concept and identify next steps. As a result of COVID-19 (C19), the scope of the project was redefined. The VoedselMarkt had to close its doors during this period as a result of the 1,5m-regulation and sudden drop of donations from supermarkets, caused by many households in the Netherlands stockpiling groceries.

Linda adds: ”We supported the Foodmarket getting ready for the “new normal” by identifying critical steps to be taken to thrive under these new circumstances, while focusing on improving the concept on the long-term. By conducting interviews and organizing a virtual workshop to discuss a number of potential C19 scenarios, we developed a roadmap for the organization to re-open its store on the short-term, as well as deal with the ambiguous guidelines of the government that impact clients, food supplies and volunteers. Moreover, we advised them on implementing other measurements to structurally improve the Foodmarket on the long-term.”

BMT Impact Projects

This project was organized within the BMT Impact Projects initiative – full-time projects for non-profits applying BMT expertise (skill-based volunteering). Rogier, BMT Impact Projects lead: “The set-up of the BMT impact projects allows us to use our knowledge and expertise to support non-profit clients, and in parallel giving Deloitters at the start of their career a chance to take the lead on projects, backed by senior subject-matter experts.”