AMS was born in 1988 in Switzerland, moving to Amsterdam in 2000, as a non-profit strategic-buying alliance on behalf of the main European retail chains.
Perini Journal
AMS Sourcing BV was founded in 1988 in Zug, Switzerland as a non-profit strategic buying alliance. Today they have offices in Switzerland and the Netherlands, their main office being at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Since 1990, the year its buying activities began, AMS has focused on developing and managing sourcing operations and procedures on behalf of its shareholders and for the members of EUROSHOPPERTM, the discount brand created in 1996 with 300 references and a renewed image. The euroshopper range constitutes the perfect example of how a well-organized purchase center allows offering good quality products at convenient prices, above all in a period where consumers are more than attentive to costs but little inclined to compromise on quality.
AS BERT SWARTSENBURG, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AMS SOURCING BV EXPLAINS: “In difficult economic times, the value of combined sourcing cannot be underestimated. Our core business is to negotiate the best commercial conditions on our partners’ behalf. But also creating economies of scale for our suppliers, providing them a gateway to leading European retailers. All with one goal in mind: to maximize return on investment for both.” In 2001 AMS began to be involved in private label sourcing, foreseeing the strategic importance of this channel - an intuition widely rewarded by the success of its policies.
THANKS TO THE STRENGTH OF ITS PARTNERS’ PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE AND TO THE SIZE ATTAINED AMS can source private label products throughout Europe, guaranteeing high quality parameters and competitive prices in every field, enabling its shareholders to offer their customers products with an optimal price-quality ratio. The services offered by AMS include management of the private label products in the food, near-& non-food and not-for-resale sectors as well as the range of the discount products proposed through the euroshopper brand, that today reaches 7 different European countries. Additionally, AMS is committed to strengthening its alliances in order to improve the buying conditions it can offer for its partners and consistently grow the numbers of selected products.
AMS REPRESENTS 8 EUROPEAN RETAILERS, AMONG WHICH Ahold (NL), Dansk Supermarked (DK), Esselunga (I), ICA (S), Jeronimo Martins (P), Kesko (F), Migros (CH) and Morrisons (UK) and 2 distributors connected to the euroshopper brand, reaching 18 countries, over 15,000 stores and an annual combined retail sales value of 113 billion euro.
PURSUANT TO GROWTH STRATEGIES THAT ENTAIL THE START-UP OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH HIGH PROFILE COMPANIES IN DIFFERENT FIELDS, in September 2014 a team from AMS and its shareholders visited Sofidel in Lucca. The meeting had the goal of gaining an in-depth knowledge of an important player in the tissue field such as Sofidel, of its products and its strategies on sustainability and innovation. Fabio Perini S.p.A., being one of the main suppliers of tissue converting machines, was also visited and was able to illustrate new technology and roll production methods. The AMS approach always entails the indepth study not only of the products but also of the production dynamics. AMS connects companies for the benefit of all, not only from an economic point of view but also from the aspect of (new) technology, innovation and integration of know-how. Sofidel, with its propensity for continuous research, supported by Fabio Perini S.p.A., represents a partner to focus on today and in the future.