one: Do we have a vegan focus for all REWE store brands?

Cornelia Balzer: Vegan ranges are of course relevant for our own brands. Our vegan "spearhead" with meanwhile 45 genuine substitute products is REWE Bio + vegan. There are some overlaps in the motives for buying a plant-based diet and for buying organic, because both ranges are about a diet that is good: good for your own health, but also good for the environment. Keyword climate: Co2 emissions are significantly lower in the production of plant-based products than in the production of animal-based products, which automatically makes them better for the climate.

Are organic and vegan customers the same?

Cornelia Balzer: Not every organic customer eats vegan and not every vegan customer eats organic, but there is some overlap. Both the vegan diet and the consumption of organic food are based on the desire for conscious consumption, so the purchasing motives are quite similar. Accordingly, the topic is highly relevant for REWE Bio and a trend segment through which we will continue to grow. I am convinced of that.

And the other own brands...?

Cornelia Balzer: Under REWE Beste Wahl, we offer a wide range of products for vegan consumption at a very good price-performance ratio. It's all about variety and fun, it's innovation-driven and "colourful" at attractive prices.

REWE to go offers fresh, vegan delicacies for on the go and for at home when things need to be done quickly.

What criteria are used to select new vegan products?

Britta Rotondi Britta Rotondi: We have deliberately focussed very broadly on vegan products with a clear objective: REWE is the most competent supplier in the vegan, vegetarian segment. We will also be the market leader in core vegan products in 2022, and you can achieve a leading position if you have a very broad positioning. In fact, we are not only stocking our own brands, but have also successively expanded our branded products to cover a wide range of products.

Is price sensitivity actually an argument when buying vegan products?

Britta Rotondi: No, price sensitivity alone is not enough. We know from customer feedback that the price-performance ratio is a relevant criterion for vegan and vegetarian products. It's not the price that counts, but value for money.

Kathrin Tischer: If customers don't have the purchasing power for more expensive branded products, they can satisfy their curiosity for vegan products with cheaper own-brand items.

But it is a conscious decision not to position ourselves as a price leader in terms of vegan-vegetarian pricing strategy. We have fixed pricing rules and, depending on the quality, we always have a benchmark for the competition in our own brand. It was a conscious decision to focus on pricing at market level and to present a balanced ratio in the private label segmentation.

Is vegan also important for the REWE Beste Wahl private label?

Kathrin Tischer Kathrin Tischer: It definitely has significance. There are a total of 140 items in the range that are naturally vegan, such as juice. However, these also include vegan substitutes, such as meat or dairy alternatives, and the range is growing rapidly. We currently have 20 items, will have 30 in a few months' time and still don't see an end in sight.

Since the beginning of the year, REWE Beste Wahl and REWE Bio have also been supporting the climate fund of the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). By displaying the NABU climate fund logo on our packaging, we at REWE want to fulfil our responsibility in terms of climate protection - because 25 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the food industry. The signet starts with the packaging of vegan products, as they are more climate-friendly than their non-vegan alternatives.

Where do you think vegan is heading?

Cornelia Balzer: Vegan is growing enormously and I'm sure this will continue, even if the "steep sales curve" caused by coronavirus will flatten out. The already large group of flexitarians, who occasionally eat meat but are increasingly avoiding animal products in favour of animal welfare and climate protection and opting for plant-based alternatives instead, will certainly grow.

Vegan has become the standard, and every competitor has positioned itself with a share of the market. The range is justified in comparison to the conventional range and will find its role in overall sales. Vegan has arrived in society.

Britta Rotondi: Exactly. Vegan ranges are part of the standard range and will remain so. With a tendency towards further expansion. REWE is the market leader in the vegan core product segment. We have worked hard to achieve this position across all divisions and now we need to defend and expand it in the long term.

In the full-range segment, we have a strong cooperation with the online business, where we are testing many things and trying them out "on a low flame" without directly taking up space in the supermarket. Here we can see how much rotation there is in the segment. Products come and go. Recipes are changed. In terms of flavour, there is light and there is shade. There is still a lot of movement.