Bangkok 23 March 2023 - Tops, food business under Central Retail, continues its strategy to be a green retailer through a new B2B2C (Business-to-Business-to-Customer) model. In a partnership with Yindii, South East Asia No.1 a food surplus buying and selling application, perfectly good food in over stock surplus will be turned into “Surprise Bags” for sale at affordable prices to reduce food waste. This is a mission to rescue delicious food for people and the environment, sharing affordable meals and connecting eco-friendly buyers and sellers on an online platform, with take-away and delivery option. When receiving the Surprise Bag, customers can enjoy a selection of food surplus products from Tops and FamilyMart at 50% discount, such as bakery, fruits, vegetables, processed food, and ready-to-eat meals. This is another big step towards the goal of food sustainability, follows Central Retail’s mission to become Thailand’s first role model of Green & Sustainable Retail.

Mr. Stephane Coum, Chief Executive Officer - Food Group, Central Retail, said, “Tops, the #1 food retailer in Thailand, has a vision to be a business that offers the best food experience under the concept of Every Day DISCOVERY alongside being a role model in green and sustainable retail. We care about reducing food surplus, food loss, and food waste in our operation. We turn food surplus into meaningful meals for families with lower income, the underprivileged, and elders, in various parts of the country through “Food For Good Deed”. To achieve our target of reducing waste and food waste by 30% within 2030, following Central Retail’s commitment, Tops seeks those who share the same purpose to create sustainability and offer better quality of life. We’ve recently partnered with a new startup business, Yindii, which has an application to buy and sell food waste. We will work together to drive our business sustainability in a new B2B2C (Business-to-Business-to-Customer) model by selling food surplus. Such food is not spoiled and has not expired, but they are edible unsold products from our Tops and FamilyMart businesses. We turn such food into ‘Surprise Bags’ sold at affordable prices. This is an important jigsaw in management process that ensures consumers can have access to quality food at affordable prices, while food is not wasted, in order not to pollute the environment.”

Louis-Alban Batard-Dupre, CEO and Founder of Yindii, said, “Food waste is a massive issue for humankind. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), every year, a third or 1.6 billion tons of all food produced in the world gets lost or wasted. This impacts everyone. First because it drives prices of our grocery bills up. Second, because food waste contributes to 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.

Yindii is South East Asia No.1 surplus food delivery app to rescue delicious unsold food It serves as a bridge between food businesses with surplus food, namely restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets, and consumers, while also offering affordable & sustainable options for consumers.

We are excited and delighted to partner with Tops, a trusted food business which has stood by Thai people for a long time. Tops is a retailer that has always cared about food waste management and is now becoming the first supermarket chain in Thailand to implement a surplus rescue system at that level. This collaboration is a significant step in building sustainability in the food system in Thailand, and environmental sustainability for the planet. This is an historical moment.”

On the Yindii app, Tops will sell good-quality food surplus from its operation in “surprise bag” sets, such as fresh ingredient sets, and fruit and vegetable sets, sold at an affordable price range of 80 to 200 THB when collecting the bags directly in the supermarkets. Customers will find out what each set contains when they open the surprise bag. Each bag contains food surplus products from each day, including vegetables, fruits, bakery, ready-to-eat meals, milk, yogurt, cheese, beverages, eggs, sausages, ham, and bacon. In the first phase, when customers order a food surplus set, they can choose to have the set delivered to pick it up at 15 Tops and FamilyMart locations in Bangkok, namely Tops Silom Complex, Sukhumvit 19, Empire Tower, Sukhaphiban 3, On Nut, Campus Walk Kaset, RCA, Rama 9, Chidlom, Phiboonwattana and Central Changwattana; Tops Food Hall Crystal Park and centralwOrld; and FamilyMart Thailand’s Cultural Center and Chan 27. Customers will get good quality products and save money in each meal by up to 50%, while also reducing food waste effectively. Instead of wasting food as trash, they can creatively make use of the products to create a great meal. This collaboration will further expand nationwide.

“Currently, consumers are more aware of the impact of food waste. Food businesses today, especially supermarkets, have to care more about their food waste management in every aspect. Tops is proud to expand our collaboration with Yindii, and we have worked hard together to develop new innovation to support food sustainability and invite our customers to save food resources and protect the planet for everyone’s benefits, in line with our business principle “Discover Happiness” as we invite everyone to discover and experience happiness and create a happy society at Tops,” said Stephane.

For more details, visit www.tops.co.th, Facebook TopsThailand, or LINE @TopsThailand.

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