LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Picadeli, one of Europe’s leading food tech companies dedicated to disrupting the healthy food industry, today announced its launch in the U.S. market through its debut partnership with Albertsons Companies (NYSE: ACI). Picadeli offers a modular store-in-store salad bar concept with the mission to make fresh, healthy food accessible and affordable to the masses, delivering on convenience and taste at a time when so many fast-food options fall short. Accessibility is a core pillar for Picadeli, believing passionately that healthy, delicious food should be available to all consumers at a reasonable price point, not just those willing to pay high prices in big cities. With today’s on the go consumer seeking time-saving solutions, this is more important than ever.
Picadeli has launched in six Safeway, ACME and Kings locations across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and New Jersey. While new to the U.S., Picadeli’s award-winning salad bars are in over 2,200 stores across seven countries throughout Europe and sold more than 45 million salads in 2019. Although many aspects of the self-serve and convenience categories were affected by the recent pandemic, Picadeli has experienced a rapid recovery of its business in Europe. The initial sales and feedback from customers in the U.S. has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Picadeli has created an innovative, technology-forward solution to address the strong demand for healthy, affordable foods that can be customized quickly,” said Jewel Hunt, Group Vice President of Deli Food Service at Albertsons Companies. “Fresh meal solutions is a category where we are continuing to differentiate our offerings, and by introducing Picadeli, we are giving our customers a great option for healthy meals at an affordable price.”
Picadeli redefines fast food and provides grocers and retailers with a smart, safe solution that grows sales with a turnkey, fresh food platform. As a healthy food leader in Europe, its business model is proven. Picadeli’s retail partners see at least markedly higher sales than traditional salad bars, with improved profitability.
“The lack of convenient, healthy fresh food at an affordable price has created a unique opportunity for grocers to win over consumers who have been left behind by the growth in cheap, less healthy fast food, and expensive fast-casual concepts,” commented Patrik Hellstrand, CEO of Picadeli U.S. “Albertsons is a leader in recognizing the demand for healthy and affordable food by its customers and we are thrilled to work together to introduce our offering to the U.S. The fast fresh food market is ripe for disruption and innovation, and Picadeli’s proven offering has demonstrated it solves this need for consumers and leading retailers across Europe. We look forward to continuing to deliver on our mission here in the U.S.”
Sustainability is a priority for Picadeli and its next-level salad bar is customized for each location, with ingredients specifically selected for each market. Its technology creates efficiencies that reduce food waste, while reducing labor, lowering break-even and increasing profitability. With its innovative technology and patented hardware, it prioritizes food safety, with the design comprised of hygiene first materials, technology-enabled shielding hoods, automatic hand sanitizer and bowl dispensers. Its innovative mounting system for utensils ensures that the grip is never in contact with food, and that products are not mixed. The digital management system allows for full traceability of its supply chain and operation, as well as QR-code scanning to ensure products do not stay out longer than allowed, signaling the need for refilling and AI re-ordering.
Picadeli is a trusted partner to leading retailers in Europe, including Carrefour, EuroGarages, Franprix, Rewe, 7 Eleven, Coop, ICA, and Kesko. It is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Grès d’Or award celebrating its collaboration with Franprix, “Editors Favourite” by Snacking Magazine, the LSA Award for Innovation, and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France’s Prix D’Excellence, its annual business award.
About Picadeli
Picadeli is a Swedish salad pioneer, driven by the belief that fast food should be the opposite of junk food. The idea is simple; through handpicked salads, challenge people’s way of buying and eating salad. The high-tech salad bars can be found in more than 2,200 stores around Europe. Since its start in 2009, Picadeli has enabled the grocery and retail industries to offer customers an innovative, fresh and tasty salad concept. Picadeli has been a member of the Greenfood Group since 2015, a leader in healthy food in the Nordic countries.
Contact:
Liz DiTrapano, Smith Street Communications
Liz@smithstreetcomms.com
617.717.8917
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f7f39253-15ef-4e21-9a66-da04353fe38a
