Auchan Hungary Ltd. has launched its local supplier program at its Debrecen store, in cooperation with Magyar Termék Nonprofit Ltd. The initiative is also supported by the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK), the organizers announced at the program’s launch press conference on Thursday.
Attila Nagy, Auchan’s Sales Director, said a key goal is to have products from producers in the store’s region — primarily small and medium-sized enterprises — placed on store shelves. He told MTI that currently, each Auchan store purchases around HUF 300 million worth of goods from local producers, and they aim to increase this figure by 6 to 8 times.
Nagy added that their stores currently offer around 46,000 products, half of which are food items, and 86% of these are grown or produced in Hungary.
He noted that of the nearly 6,000 products bearing the “Magyar Termék” (Hungarian Product) certification mark, Auchan sells 1,200, including 126 of its own-brand products. They plan to link these own-brand products to the newly launched local supplier program, which may eventually allow small-scale producers to become national suppliers. A supplier forum was also held at the Debrecen launch event, attended by about 50 local producers.
Eszter Benedek, Managing Director of Magyar Termék Nonprofit Ltd., said they are in contact with 260 companies whose total revenue reaches HUF 4,500 billion and who employ 48,000 people.
These companies produce the 6,000 certified “Hungarian Product” goods, which, according to a survey of 1,000 respondents, are highly popular among consumers. Over 90% of those surveyed are familiar with and purchase certified goods, which are expected to be made from Hungarian raw materials and to be high-quality, reliable, and controlled products made by Hungarian workers, Benedek said.
Zsolt Papp, President of the National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK), stated that they support this unique initiative and the collaboration between producers and retailers. It is important both for helping local producers reach new markets and for introducing consumers to local flavors.
He added that the NAK has launched a campaign to promote Hungarian products so consumers can see that agriculture is capable of supplying excellent-quality ingredients to both domestic and international markets.
Regarding the launch of the program, Attila Nagy confirmed to MTI that Auchan Hungary Ltd., which employs 5,400 people, had a net sales revenue of HUF 366.312 billion last year, compared to HUF 368.639 billion the previous year. Their after-tax profit grew from HUF 586 million in 2022 to HUF 6.894 billion in 2023.