In ELVI stores preference is given to Latvia's goods

 

Questions and answers about cooperation with Elvi and local suppliers

How do you plan and provide assortment of goods offered by local producers? Does your shop offer all groceries and household articles produced in Latvia? What are product selection criteria?

ELVI is a store chain with local capital and cooperation with local producers is especially regarded as possibility for development. Development strategy of ELVI is use of franchising principles. It means that ELVI Group provides its partners with knowledge about retail sale of groceries, single logistics system, procurement and marketing but the franchisees run their shops and remain their owners. The franchise terms allow to shop owners to choose by themselves 25% of fresh produce range – especially  produce of local producers (milk, meat, bread, fruits and vegetables). Assortment of local goods is provided by close cooperation with the producers. They recommend most popular and interesting products but the store owners evaluate their compliance for sale in particular ELVI store. A significant factor for including the product in certain shop assortment is uniqueness and difference. ELVI offers one of the widest range of products made in Latvia – approximately 92% of fresh produce categories in total (milk, meat, bread, fruits, vegetables).  Without taking into account whether the product is made in Latvia or beyond its borders, most important criterion is its quality. Also small producers who sell their produce only in one region must ensure that their produce comply with the quality standards stated by the laws. One more important criterion for including the product in assortment is provision of regular delivery of produce and guarantee of certain sale volumes.

 

Is the assortment the same in all areas of Latvia? If there are differences then what are they and why?

Each ELVI store provides different assortment. Each ELVI chooses fresh produce categories (milk, meat, bread, fruits and vegetables) also from its area, region or city producers. For example, in shops located in Latgale region the produce from Rezeknes Galas kombinats is offered most often but in Kurzeme region priority is given to Saldus Galas kombinats. A similar situation is with local milk, bread and vegetable suppliers. This is unique approach in Latvia's market, which has been positively evaluated by customers.

 

What documents are necessary in order to offer own produce for sale? Where and how it can be done?

Possibly that home made juice or cheese can be sold more easily in fairs. For both, grown and produced produce certificate issued by the Food an Veterinary Service is necessary in order to sell it in ELVI. It is important that regular produce deliveries in required volumes are provided to ELVI. In this spring there was a situation when customers required potatoes and other vegetables grown in Latvia but farmers could not provide ELVI with the required volumes; therefore it was necessary to import them from abroad.

Cooperation with ELVI is made from supplier’s possibilities to provide shops with necessary volumes of produce. The biggest producers, which provides produce for all ELVI in Latvia collaborates with ELVI Group, which defines procurement volumes for all ELVI stores in Latvia but the small fresh produce producers (milk, meat, bread, fruits and vegetables) or suppliers cooperates with particular ELVI in their city, region or area.