Jumbo sells 44 La Place restaurants

The Vermaat Group is to take over the employees, assets and operations of 44 La Place restaurants. Jumbo, on the other hand, is not completely divesting the La Place brand and will retain ownership of six restaurants, four station locations and franchise partnerships. The supermarket chain plans to focus on expanding La Place Express and bringing La Place products to Jumbo stores.

The sales plans are subject to regulatory approval. The collaboration is set to launch on April 1. Colette Cloosterman-van Eerd, CCO of Jumbo: "With Vermaat on board as a strong cooperation partner, the future of La Place in the Netherlands looks bright. In the exceptional year 2020, when we had to keep our restaurants largely closed, we looked for improvements and innovations on several fronts that will allow us to emerge stronger from the Corona crisis." For example, he said, in addition to making the restaurant concept more contemporary, the company has been looking for potential partnerships that could strengthen the restaurants operationally. "We see the proposed strategic partnership with Vermaat as a slam dunk for a healthy and successful future," she said.

Rick Zeelen, CEO Vermaat Group: "Our long-term strategy is to grow strongly at home and abroad. The Corona period was not easy for Vermaat and our employees, but we never lost sight of this long-term goal." Zeelen says there has been continued investment in new concepts and new markets. These include, for example, two La Place restaurants at Designer Outlet Roosendaal and Eindhoven Airport. The expansion of the collaboration with Jumbo and La Place is a logical continuation that fits perfectly with our strategy."