François Adam (Picadeli): "From 20 salads a day, the concept becomes profitable"

INTERVIEW – With over 50 points of sale in BeLux, 700,000 meals sold per year, and an announced growth of 40%, Picadeli is positioning itself as a profitable model for retailers. François Adam, Deputy Country Manager for Picadeli BeLux, details the strategy and outlook for the Swedish pioneer of connected salad bars on the Belgian market.

With 2,200 locations worldwide and a global turnover exceeding 200 million euros, Picadeli is banking on a clear positioning: making fast food greener, more flexible, and more profitable for retailers. With 43 locations in Belgium and double-digit growth, Picadeli is gradually establishing itself as a lever for differentiation and profitability for Belgian retailers. François Adam, Deputy Country Manager for Picadeli BeLux, details the strategy and outlook. Interview.

Gondola Foodservice: Over 5 million euros in annual sales. Does this reflect Picadeli BeLux’s commercial performance or the retail value created for the brands?

François Adam: This amount corresponds to the retail value generated by supermarkets thanks to the Picadeli concept – meaning the turnover realized in-store at the consumer resale price. In 2025, 75% of this value was generated in Belgium and 25% in Luxembourg.

How many salads are sold on average per day, per store, in Belgium?

In Belgium, a point of sale sells an average of 50 salads per day, or about 300 per week. Certain strategic locations, such as train stations, can generate up to eight times the volume of a standard point of sale. Picadeli does not target purely residential stores: the concept is designed for environments with sustained and regular footfall, which is an indispensable condition for guaranteeing stock rotation, optimizing profitability, and limiting waste.

Is your 40% growth driven by network expansion or by the performance of existing locations?

We are seeing growth in existing points of sale. The store located at the Midi Station (Brussels South) is still showing over 20% growth after two years, despite already having significant volume. However, the bulk of the growth comes from new openings. The most recent installation was completed in Antwerp, at a Carrefour Express in Berchem Station.

At what volume does a Picadeli salad bar become profitable for a store?

We do not communicate the exact margin, but it is comfortable for the store and higher than that of pre-packaged salads. We provide the bar and sell the merchandise. The store handles refilling and cleaning. The salads are sold by weight, generally around €17.90/kg (incl. VAT), and the consumer pays based on the quantity they compose.

This allows for good margin control for the point of sale, unlike a fixed price per bowl where the customer tends to overload their container, which penalizes profitability. It becomes economically attractive starting from about 20 salads per day, or roughly 180 per week.

How are logistics and supply frequency organized for the points of sale?

Deliveries take place two to three times a week, with a minimum order threshold (franco) set at 250 euros. This frequency guarantees product freshness while keeping unsold inventory to a minimum. We target high-traffic points of sale to ensure rapid product rotation.

How do you concretely ensure store profitability and waste control?

Profitability relies primarily on rotation. We target high-traffic locations – city centers, train stations, office areas, gas stations – and deliver two to three times a week, with a minimum order of 250 euros, to guarantee freshness and limit unsold items.

We use the Arctic X system, which combines innovative cooling with digital traceability. Each container is scanned upon opening: a shelf life (DLC) before and after opening is automatically managed, with a countdown visible in real-time on the operator's terminal. This greatly simplifies work in the store: no more time-consuming paper traceability, as temperatures are continuously recorded in the cloud.

The device relies on a dual cooling system – under the containers and via laminar flow above – complemented by self-closing hoods. The goal is to simplify store operations, guarantee traceability, and limit waste. We do not release precise figures on waste reduction, but the technology maximizes the shelf life of products after opening.

What is your location strategy for BeLux in 2026?

We are prioritizing high-traffic locations: city centers, office zones, train stations, airports, and gas stations, as well as hospitals and university campuses. We do not install in residential stores. Development also involves the foodservice sector, through partnerships with universities and canteens, where volumes can be significant.

The goal is to pursue our growth opportunistically in Belgium and Luxembourg. We are also in discussions regarding markets that are still underdeveloped, notably in the Netherlands. New locations are envisioned for 2026, depending on opportunities.