Renovation of hundreds of Albert Heijn supermarkets in the Netherlands according to strict formula guidelines

Hundreds of Albert Heijn supermarkets have been fundamentally renovated under the supervision of MVRO in the last few years. The client, Ahold Real Estate & Construction places very stringent requirements on these operations, which are performed with almost military precision.

Details
MVRO supervises and coordinates the entire renovation process. They deal with the development of the initial idea as well as completion and maintenance. This enables Albert Heijn to concentrate fully on its core business. The building and renovating of an AH store is a process involving a large number of parties. Careful preparation and painstaking monitoring of progress is crucially important for meeting the tight deadlines. Error tolerance is practically zero. The reason for this is that, if the store closes on a Saturday at 5 p.m., completion has to take place no later than the following Saturday so that the shelves can be stacked again by the subsequent Wednesday. In ten days’ time, the entire premises - whether it is an S or an XL supermarket – have to be stripped down to their shell and then fitted with a new interior and new plant and machinery.

Strict regulations
The building and renovation is of course subject to strict regulations to ensure that the basic principles of the formula are safeguarded. The interior components as well as the plant and machinery have largely been standardised for reasons of efficiency and cost. But, as long as it does not damage the company image, the client was certainly amenable to a number of the cheaper or better alternatives MVRO put forward as a result of its practical experience.

Long-term partnership
The challenge in these projects lies not only in the short time to completion. The location, too, often entails specific requirements. Some municipalities impose different conditions when it comes to building and advertising permits. In other places, such as city centres, the coming and going of delivery lorries requires careful planning and coordination. Thanks to a long-term partnership between Ahold Real Estate & Construction, MVRO and all the partners, each project is completed to everyone's satisfaction every time.

"4,000 m², 1 week to build, 3 stores a week? No problem at all. Close on Saturday, open again next week!"

About Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn is the overall market leader among supermarkets in the Netherlands and had over 825 stores by the spring of 2010. The supermarket chain works with several concepts, including local stores, the convenience store AH to go and the hypermarkets Albert Heijn XL.

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