Table Top Business Area

Close customer relations generates greater business

A renewed customer contact structure leads to on-target concepts and Goodfoodmood® experiences.

Business area strategy in brief:

• Leader within the premium segment.

• Growth through geographic expansion focused on increased market shares in Southern and Eastern Europe, as well as the UK.

• Attentiveness to trends on the HoReCa market in order to formulate the right type of offerings.

The Table Top business area offers a wide range of, primarily, napkins, tablecoverings and candles. Customers are typically restaurants, hotels and catering firms. Sales take place both through wholesalers and directly to end customers. Duni is the leading producer in Europe, with the Nordic region and Germany as its main markets.

A CHANGING MARKET

Eating out, and in new ways, is becoming increasingly common. At the same time as the number of restaurants is growing, they are changing in character. Fast casual chains are spreading. These are restaurants that offer higher quality take-away food than traditional fast-food chains. One consequence is that restaurant guests are not sitting down to eat to the same extent as previously.

Constant monitoring of flows in the market is a must for Duni to entrench its leading position and also create growth. Double-digit growth was achieved in Italy and Spain, while the main markets of the Nordic region and Germany were characterized by a degree of stagnation.

END-CUSTOMER RELATIONS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT

In 2015, focus was placed on producing new methods for meeting and contacting customers. Among other things, this has resulted in a closer dialogue with the end customer, even when the sale takes place through wholesalers. In this way, it is easier to identify subtle differences in needs and wishes. Products and offerings can thereby be structured with even greater on-target precision. A typical example is provided by a ‘finger food’ concept which is being rolled out in 2016. This captures the trend to which many restaurants have adapted their offering, namely to offer food that is quicker to both serve and eat, or which can be consumed on the go.

ADDED VALUE WITH COLOR AND FORM

Duni’s strength lies in offering on trend ranges of colors, designs and material. The single-color collection is fully compostable and comprises more than 20 different hues, which are constantly being updated. The designed range is also one of the largest in the industry. A broad offering is important bearing in mind that customers are spread over a large number of different geographic markets on which preferences vary. Several new designs were launched in 2015, among the most popular of which was a collection which interprets natural materials such as marble and wood.

Duni also develops special premium materials for single-use products. Dunicel® and Evolin® are two examples of such materials. An increasing number of restaurants are discovering the economic and environmental advantages of replacing cloth napkins and tablecoverings with Duni’s material. Potential on the market is still very great and Duni is actively engaged in providing customers with facts and arguments for switching to single-use material.

LIGHT FOR GOODFOODMOOD

The right mood at the dining table, Goodfoodmood®, emerges from the total experience that has been created. In addition to napkins and tablecoverings, Duni offers a product range with candles. The pace of innovation is high and, during the year, a major new product was launched in the form of a LED concept in a designed holder. There has been great interest in this type of novel item and Duni is continuing to drive the market forward within this area as well.

In 2016, Duni will continue to proceed on the established path. Priority will be given to focus on end-customer contact and on trend concepts, as well as continued cultivation of markets with large growth potential.