Three winning teams, one store in the top 3 and one of the greatest young talents: REWE won several prizes at this year's Meat Stars awards. Which stores won and how.
Celebrating their successful participation in the competition: the three finalist teams from REWE West. | Photo: ©Achim Bachhausen
Major award for quality craftsmanship and advisory expertise: REWE Pfleger from St. Augustin has one of the best meat counters in the country. On Thursday, 19 February, the company was named the winner in the "up to 1,500 square metres" category at the 34th German Meat Congress at Petersberg in Königswinter.
High animal welfare standards, first-class product quality and personalised advice: this concept won over the jury and customers alike. The service counter at Dirk Pfleger's REWE store in St. Augustin-Niederpleis stands for freshness, transparency and expertise. "We are a well-rehearsed team with lots of creative ideas. We are very proud that our work is now one of the best meat counters in Germany," said a delighted Stefanie Neuman, Head of Service, who is also a trained meat sommelier and a member of REWE West's Meat Master Club.
Quality you can taste
At the service counter, which is around 13 metres long, 13 highly trained employees provide advice on a large selection of sausage, meat and cheese specialities. Salesman Dirk Pfleger consistently emphasises high animal welfare standards. For example, the regional pork on offer comes from species-appropriate rearing under the Strohwohl brand. "We have now also significantly expanded the range in the sausage area, and the response from our customers has been consistently positive," reports REWE salesman Dirk Pfleger.
Advice that goes further
Stefanie Neumann and her team see advice as more than just a sales pitch. Customers receive sound tips on preparation, for example. The area manager is a trained meat sommelier and a member of REWE West's Meat Master Club.
Highest quality, precision craftsmanship, innovative product ideas and consistent customer orientation: these values characterise the service department of REWE Dugandzic in Bedburg-Kaster, which also secured a top place in the category up to 1,500 square metres of sales area. "We love what we do, and you can taste it," says Thorsten Möller, Area Manager for the REWE Dugandzic stores, explaining the reasons for the top 3 ranking.
Quality that impresses
At the service counter, which is around twelve metres long, 16 qualified employees provide competent and personal advice on the large selection of meat, sausage and cheese specialities. REWE retailers Boris and Daniel Dugandzic, together with Thorsten Möller, consistently focus on selected product ranges, transparent origin and freshness.
The REWE Stenten family in the Frankenberger Viertel in Aachen made it into the top 3 in the "1,500 to 2,000 square metres" category. A large selection of regional and local products, first-class advice and creative theme weeks impressed both the jury and the customers. The service counter stands for freshness, transparency and expertise. "We are very fond of the region. The animals for our organic beef from Gut Paulinenwäldchen grow up around five kilometres from the market in species-appropriate husbandry. This sets us apart and is very well received by our customers," says Marvin Laschet, Head of Service and master butcher.
Highly trained staff
"We have a great team with very well-trained staff who are passionate about their job. I am delighted that this performance has now been honoured with the Meat Star," commented salesman Max Stenten on the good performance at the industry award.
Strong presence: REWE Nord returned home with a meat star and a young talent award. | Photo: ©Achim Bachhausen
In the category of medium-sized stores with 2,001 to 3,000 square metres of sales space, REWE Haase from Neustadt in Holstein came out on top. The store with the maritime flair of the Baltic Sea manages to maintain a high standard at the meat counter even in the off-season, praised the jury. The team led by department manager Thorben Macke impressed with first-class in-house production, a strong regional focus and impressive dry-aged meat.
Proud of their joint success: the newly crowned meat stars from Egelsbach. | Photo: ©Achim Bachhausen
According to the jury, the REWE Centre in Egelsbach, Hesse, is currently home to the large area with the best meat service counter. The counter team prevailed against strong competitors and impressed with its craftsmanship, innovative concepts and a special shopping experience with event character.
With 7,239 square metres of sales area, around 215 employees and around 1.5 million customers a year, the REWE Center is one of the largest stores in the REWE Group. A key success factor is the distinctive in-house production in the fresh food departments as well as the consistent focus on quality, regionality and customer proximity. From entry-level products to premium items such as dry-aged beef or regional specialities, the meat counter offers a particularly wide range of products. Another focus is on advice, experience and transparency: regular tastings, customer evenings and discovery tours behind the scenes of production create proximity and trust. "For us, people take centre stage - both our customers and our team. Only with committed and highly trained employees can we create enthusiasm and make quality tangible," says store manager Dunja Storck.
The continuous training and development of employees and a strong team of master butchers, sommeliers and specialists form the basis for the high quality of service and advice.
Honoured: Meat star talent Ben Keller. | Photo: ©Achim Bachhausen
Ben Keller from the REWE-Marktplatz Klautke in Hanover not only made it to the final round of the six best, he also secured one of the two winners' trophies. The trainee butcher had previously demonstrated his expertise at the "Trainee Days" organised by Lebensmittelpraxis. The well-deserved reward for the professional from the market production department: first place in the "Meat Star Talent" competition for young talent. This is the second time he has trained as a butcher. He first trained as a retail salesman specialising in food and then worked in the service sector. "My aim is to show that our trade is modern, versatile and sustainable - and to inspire others to do the same," says Ben Keller ambitiously.
Once a year, the trade magazine Lebensmittelpraxis honours the best meat counters in the food retail sector with the Fleischstar award. Supermarkets and specialist retailers that impress with a first-class selection of meat and sausages, expert advice, appealing presentation and innovative marketing concepts are honoured. An expert jury assesses the participants and selects the best concepts in the sector. The award ceremony took place during the German Meat Congress at the Steigenberger Hotel in Königswinter.
