Quality a competitive advantage for Żabka

Quality a competitive advantage for Żabka

Żabka Group is a growing modern convenience ecosystem based on quality at every stage of the chain – from the production of private-label groceries, through their storage and distribution, to in-store sales. Its competitive advantage stems, among other things, from a carefully selected portfolio of unique private labels, whose quality, diversity, and value for customers are unrivaled on the Polish market. This is why Żabka is constantly developing them – only by the end of September this year it had introduced 110 new products. And already on November 22, this year, the chain’s assortment will include panini with mushrooms.

– As a responsible organization, Żabka Group attaches great importance to food quality and safety. Concern for maintaining the highest standards in this area is a fundamental element in building consumer trust. We are sure that the products we offer are reproducible, tested, and verified as a result of a multi-stage inspection. The guarantee of the highest quality means that customers come back to us for more products –says Marta Urbaniak, Head of Quality & Environmental Management, Quality Management Representative for ISO, Żabka Polska.

„Product testers“ decide what’s good

Żabka’s goal is to provide customers with nutritious and convenient meals, snacks, and beverages that are ready to eat or heat up immediately and that cannot be purchased anywhere else. Żabka’s innovation lab is constantly developing new solutions as it expands its family of private labels. By the end of September 2023, the chain had already introduced more than 110 new private label product launches, the same number as in the whole of 2022.

All private-label products undergo numerous sensory analyses and laboratory tests. They are also tested by Żabka employees, co-workers, and franchisees as part of the „Product Testers“ program. Testers share their observations and comments, which are then analyzed by teams responsible for product development and introduction to the chain. Thanks to their feedback, it is easier to assess the potential of a product and decide whether to launch it. In this way, employees, co-workers, and franchisees are directly involved in the process of selecting and choosing novelties, have a real impact on what products end up on store shelves, and become private label ambassadors.

Quality proven by the numbers

Żabka’s private label products must meet not only the quality requirements of the law but also those specific to the chain. Their suppliers meet the food safety standards set by Żabka and are subject to regular audits to confirm the compliance and repeatability of production processes. In 2023 alone, the chain conducted more than 900 laboratory analyses and more than 1,100 sensory evaluations carried out at the company’s product development center. Each private-label product is carefully checked and analyzed at every stage of the supply chain. In 2023, nearly 360 private label products and those from Żabka Café range undergo regular quality checks. Products from each batch of all private label products are prepared and assessed by a qualified team already at the logistics centers. Since the beginning of 2023, nearly 74,000 product deliveries have been inspected and nearly 29,000 batches of products, including nearly 10,000 hot dogs, have been subjected to sensory checks.

Highest quality standards in store

All activities undertaken by Żabka are carried out based on applicable standards and are subject to regular audits. The chain provides its franchisees with training and develops procedures whose implementation and observance in the stores allow it to guarantee the highest quality of products and services offered to customers. It also provides them with several digital tools that make shop management easier. One example is Żabka Assistant application. Some of its most frequently and eagerly used functionalities are the HACCP module, which helps take care of food safety, optimizes working time with documentation, and minimizes the number of printouts in the store, and a module that allows the verification of product expiry dates and overpricing to be digitized.

Promoting sustainable lifestyles through private labels

Private labels not only respond to the growing demand for certain categories of assortment but also meet Żabka’s ESG targets. In 2020. Żabka committed to double the sales of private label products promoting sustainable lifestyles by 2025. Thanks to measures taken, such as the reformulation program, the promotion of a plant-based diet, the elimination of palm oil from private label products, the elimination of cage eggs for the sake of animal welfare, and the use of certified raw materials defined as critical in the area of sustainability, the chain achieved this goal two years ahead of schedule. It has therefore redefined its approach to good nutrition in 2022. The new guidelines include the promotion of products with a high Nutri-Score, products of plant origin, with a so-called clean label, or health or food labels according to EU guidelines.

Detailed information is available at: https://zabkagroup.com/esg/