Zaandam, the Netherlands, 4 September 2009 – Albert Heijn isn’t into comparing apples and oranges: it just offers the smartest prices on popular vegetables and fruit. From today, the supermarket chain’s customers can buy a bag full of five types of vegetables or fruit at half the usual price. The fruits and veg on offer are advertised in its weekly promotional leaflet delivered to Dutch households from this weekend – together with a large brown paper bag. The promotion runs for three weeks from 7 through 20 September and involves different selections of five popular fruit and veg each week. This week features cauliflower, tomatoes, chicory, sweet peppers and kiwis.
A TV commercial to be broadcast from 6 September shows Holland’s favourite Albert Heijn supermarket manager Mr Van Dalen, who features in just about all of the company’s television ads. He takes on the greengrocer’s role with gusto, complete with apron and pencil behind his ear, hawking his vegetables and fruit like a fully-fledged market vendor. Fruit and vegetables will also be very much in the spotlight at Albert Heijn stores.
The ‘Whole bag, half price’ offer comes hot on the heels of Albert Heijn’s successful Hamster Weeks and puts the company’s money where its mouth is. As Albert Heijn CEO Dick Boer said when commenting on Ahold’s quarterly figures: "Consumers rate Albert Heijn as the country’s best seller of fresh produce. And we’ve made a price promise that we also want to meet in our fresh produce range. From next week we’ll be making sure this message really hits home."