Moldovan supermarkets switch to electronic tenders for the purchase of vegetables and fruits
In the context of the growing economic crisis, which puts pressure on the purchasing power of the bulk of consumers, some Moldovan retailers, in order to reduce costs, are changing the model of interaction with suppliers of fruit and vegetable products. Thus, the management of GREEN HILLS and VELMART supermarkets refuses long-term cooperation with large wholesale intermediaries - "consolidators" on a contract basis and resumes the previous procurement format - through open tenders.
As reported by EastFruit representatives of the administration of these networks, the supply of fruit and vegetable assortments through single large operators led to “an extension of the chain of intermediaries within the procurement system and increase in prices at its exit. " To change the situation, retailers began to use their electronic platforms to conduct electronic auctions at the agreed time, in which both local agricultural producers and merchants-importers can participate. A separate tender is held for each name of the fruit and vegetable assortment, in which up to a dozen potential suppliers usually participate. As a result, the fresh departments of these supermarket chains are supplied by hundreds of wholesalers and farmers.
The transition to a tender system has led to the fact that, on the one hand, retailers have loaded themselves with a large amount of additional work, but on the other hand, they have achieved the best prices for fruits and vegetables from each of the suppliers. This largely explains the fact that, judging by according to the results of the EastFruit audit , the GREEN HILLS and VELMART chains today often set the lowest prices for fresh vegetables and fruits among other operators network Moldovan retail.
