Hundreds of Hema stores are to be given a makeover and will exchange products with its new owner, the Jumbo supermarket group.

Hema is in better financial shape following last year’s takeover and ties between the two Dutch staples will become even tighter, CEO Saskia Egas Reparaz told Nu.nl.

Which Jumbo products will end up on Hema shelves has not been decided yet, Egas Reparaz said, but they may include meals and sandwiches to go. Typical products such as Hema cake, tompouce and sausage will not be replaced, she said.

Jumbo supermarkets have been selling other Hema products for some time. ‘That has proved successful,’ Egas Reparaz said, ‘and we are now going to see if it will work the other way around.’

The takeover has given Jumbo 550 new locations in city centres. ‘We are not going to turn Hema shops into Jumbo supermarkets,’ Jumbo chief Frits van Eerd said earlier, ‘but we are happy to have a presence in areas where there is usually an Albert Heijn or two.’

Hema is scaling down its foreign presence, and has already closed down all six of its shops in Spain. Instead, the group will be concentrating on combining on and offline sales and sustainability, Ergaz Reparaz said.