… Carsten Gernemann

Carsten Gernemann, Sales Manager Dicke Food Makes Fun

1. The service counter seems to be making a comeback. Can you confirm this trend?

Yes, the competition within German food retail has really started to move. More than ever before the aim is to win over customers through excellent services and secure their loyalty in the long-term. The significance of the product range and coupled with that, a trusting and individual customer advice service, is becoming increasingly significant and indicates a trend turnaround for the chilled foods service counter.
The specific use of and, in particular, the continued and motivating development of employees’ retail capabilities and competence in the fresh food service areas is one of the most important factors required for successfully negotiating this turnaround.

2. As an exhibitor at InterMeat which expectations are you pinning on the trade fair?

This year, with the newly directed strategy, the expectations are particularly high. We see ourselves as a competent and expert contact partner for the delicatessen-orientated retail and supply our customers with outstanding cold meats, sausage/ham and catering specialities from the other European countries. Thanks to tailor-made product concepts and the highest quality, in harmony with our long-standing experience we are a reliable, strong and effective partner for our customers from the retail world.
We are embarking on new paths, constantly looking for ideas and innovations. We would like to impress our customers and consumers with traditional products and recipes, which represent an absolute alternative to the existing goods on retailers’ refrigerated shelves.
The strategic orientation of Dicke Food Makes Fun was revised due to the increasingly heavy demand from the major retail sectors (food retail & discount) for premium cold meats/sausage and ham specialities, which have constantly been expanding the breadth and depth of this segment in recent years. At this trade fair our main aim is to reach the buyers from the major food retail and discount players in particular and clearly extend our market share over the next few years; together with strong, efficient suppliers from France, Spain and Italy, who are producing at the highest possible technical level and supplying us with refined service and self-service innovations.
We would primarily like to see the success of high-quality foodstuffs and are banking on traditionally original products, which mainly impress with taste, optics and quality.

3. Will you be presenting special products and new programmes at InterMeat ?

The focus is currently on the articles produced by our French partners, Madrange, Paul Pedrault, Montagne Noire and Iller. We would like to focus special attention on extending the sales share of self-service packed specialities.

A further highlight in the salami and raw ham products segment of our partner Montagne Noire is the excellent range of Label Rouge products, which we are seeking to use to position ourselves as a brand.
We have already successfully launched the comeback by a major brand in the German self-service counters with the “Le Foué” article, a tried-and-tested, familiar, top-quality, hand-produced cooked ham from Paul Pedrault in France. Le Foué is an original French premium product, a cooked ham of the highest quality, the No. 1 in France. Here in Germany, in recent years, it has been forgotten somewhat, but we have already been marketing it very successfully for several months. With the top article, “Le Foue Kochschinken”, our aim is to grow further and clearly expand the market share.
We can already promise you this much, we have some surprises in store for you.