The international food retailer Matsmart is selling “save-the-planet-stuff”. Saving food from being wasted is their passion. And with the help from Azets’ accounting and payroll team, Matsmart is also saving time - and subsequently even more food.
Since 2013, Matsmart has been saving food from going in the trash. Instead of letting go of perfectly good food because of overproduction, improper packaging, seasonal trends, short or sometimes past the best-before date, Matsmart takes responsibility and gives us the opportunity to buy it at a discounted price. By now, Matsmart's customers and suppliers have
saved over 11,000 tonnes of food!
Today, they are an international challenger in the food industry and are now located in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany and the UK. (Matsmart goes by the name Motatos in Denmark, Germany and the UK). Azets was first chosen to provide accounting services in Denmark, and the international journey soon expanded to Finland, with additional payroll services in Denmark.
Choosing an outsourcing partner
In Denmark and Finland, Matsmart uses Azets’ full outsourcing service model. This includes all tasks connected to accounting, such as handling invoices, dealing with auditors, and taking care of payroll matters in Denmark.
- I really feel no difference at all, since Azets has the same approach in all countries. Theprocess is smooth and efficient, and allows us to think about other things without worry. They do the “mark green” on every task, which is how we easily can follow all the processes from the side and lower our shoulders, she says.
Establishing international offices
- When we were opening the office in Denmark, we decided to team up with Azets. The Nordic countries are similar in many ways, but some things are just different. It was good to have a team with local knowledge that could help us out with the establishments in the new markets.
- Azets came in from the very beginning, and we were up and running after a very short time. We were using Visma business as our software platform, and we could just add another company there. That made it very easy. We already had the invoice systems in place. We got help with the registration, bank setup - it was a lot. Nevertheless, it was very smooth with Azets, Carolina explains.
- When we were planning to outsource the Finnish accounting (that we had in-house the first years), we did not even consider anyone else. No problem at all. Azets does 100% of the accounting and we have only one person to call.
Always access to expertise
- Another aspect that has proven Azets to be a good choice was the size of the company and the availability of expertise at all times. By being a growing company in the Nordics, the administration becomes more and more comprehensive. In accounting for instance, there are different laws and regulations in all countries where adjustments and regulations happens all the time.
– An advantage of having Azets as partners is the fact that there we never have to look far for an answer; there is always access to knowledge somewhere. We just reach out to our contact person, and they come back with a solution. In Denmark for instance, there was a new transfer pricing policy regulation - our Azets consultants quickly pulled the trigger. We got guidance from a different department at Azets specialised in this, which made it easy for us to come to the right solution.
Close collaboration
– We see our Azets contacts as our colleagues. The communication is very good and we have tight contact. They are really into our business! When we have questions about an invoice, it is never an issue. A dynamic collaboration that fits our business model very well.
At Azets, we are happy to contribute with professional expertise and smart IT tools to ambitious companies like Matsmart. Cross-Nordic accounting and payroll are our main areas of expertise, and we will continue to do our utmost to offer the help needed for
Matsmart/Motatos and all our clients to continue to grow. Matsmart is a good example of this and we are very proud to be their Nordic outsourcing partner. Together we ensure an efficient administrative machinery that again will free up time for Matsmart to save the planet from more food waste.