"THE BEST CHEF MAKES THE
TASTIEST DISHES WITH THE SIMPLEST
INGREDIENTS AND RESOURCES"
GROUP
Interview
On May 26, 2012 Mats Jansson succeeded Count Jacobs de Hagen as Chairman
of the Board. Mats Jansson brings significant experience, notably in food retail, to
Delhaize Group. Together with Chief Executive Officer Pierre-Olivier Beckers he shared
his reflections on his first year and looks forward to the next.
How would you describe 2012
from an operational point of
view?
How do you look back on 2012?
Mats Jansson: 2012 was both a
challenging and an exciting year for
Delhaize Group and for me as Chair
man. Challenging because the per
formance of the Group was under
pressure as a result of the difficult
market circumstances in most of
the countries where we operate and
exciting because as Chairman of the
Board I found myself accompanied
by a diverse and professional team
with one single mission: to guide Del
haize Group through this challenging
period. And although I am aware that
there are still many challenges ahead
of us, I was nevertheless happy that
we were able to announce at the end
of 2012 that we firmly achieved two
important targets: underlying operat
ing profit and free cash flow. As my
father had a grocery store, I learned
from my childhood that retail is about
giving your customers what they
deserve: excellent service, a high
quality assortment and affordable
prices. After becoming a member of
the Board in 2011, the Group's spirit
really reminded me of my father's
store and the way he treated his cus
tomers as his most important asset.
MJ: In the past, when there was a
downturn or a recession, food retail
companies showed much more resil
ience than they do today. Food retail,
as one of the few defensive sectors,
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