EDIFACT in Dutch retail

EDIFACT remains the canonical language of the supply chain between suppliers and large retail in the Netherlands. With about 900 million messages exchanged per year (GS1 Nederland 2024), the Netherlands is Europe's 3rd EDIFACT market per capita after Belgium and France. The arrival of Picnic (digital-native delivery) does not change the equation upstream — EDIFACT remains unavoidable.

Chains and their EDI portals

GS1 Nederland EANCOM 2002 subset

The EANCOM 2002 subset maintained by GS1 Nederland is the reference for the Dutch retail ecosystem. Local specificities:

• GS1 Nederland GLN addressing: country prefix 871, 13 digits per GS1 General Specifications. Managed by GS1 Nederland (871[company:5][internal:4][checksum:1]).
• BTW code: uses the GS1 standard coding (S/L/Z/E) with transcription for Belastingdienst (S=21%, L=9%, Z=0%, E=exempt).
• Reference to the Verkoopvereenkomst (supplier framework contract) mandatory in RFF+CT.
• Logistics DC address (NAD+DP) with specific GLN of the distribution centre (Zaandam for AH, Veghel for Jumbo, Heerenveen for Lidl NL).
• EAN-13/GTIN in LIN as primary product identifier. Coexistence with MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) in PIA.

Daily-used messages

• ORDERS — supplier order (highest volumes: ~450 M/yr)
• ORDRSP — order acknowledgment and confirmation
• ORDCHG — order change (logistics emergencies)
• DESADV — despatch advice with SSCC for palletisation
• RECADV — reception acknowledgment in platform (with discrepancies)
• INVOIC — EDIFACT invoice (progressively migrating to PEPPOL UBL)
• INVRPT — supplier inventory report (categorical)
• SLSRPT — sales report (sell-out to supplier, CPFR)
• PRICAT — price catalogue (quarterly update)
• PARTIN — partner information (GLN, contacts)
• QUOTES — request for quotation (less in retail, more in food-service)

Anatomy of an Albert Heijn ORDERS

Example of an ORDERS sent by Albert Heijn to a dairy supplier: 3-reference order (yoghurts, cheeses), Zaandam DC delivery in 48h.

UNB+UNOC:3+8710400099963:14+8710624000000:14+260519:0910+AH00000812'
UNH+1+ORDERS:D:01B:UN:EAN010'
BGM+220+AH-NL-2026-000812+9'
DTM+137:20260519:102'
DTM+2:20260521:102'
RFF+CT:AH-VTR-2026-Q2-0091'
NAD+BY+8710400099963::9'
NAD+SU+8710624000000::9'
NAD+DP+8710400099970::9'
LIN+1++8710624123456:EN'
QTY+21:480'
PRI+AAA:0.89'
LIN+2++8710624234567:EN'
QTY+21:192'
PRI+AAA:1.45'
LIN+3++8710624345678:EN'
QTY+21:144'
PRI+AAA:2.99'
UNS+S'
CNT+2:3'
UNT+18+1'
UNZ+1+AH00000812'

Segment-by-segment decoding:

• UNB — Interchange header. Sender GLN 8710400099963 (Albert Heijn), receiver GLN 8710624000000 (fictional supplier). Date/time 2026-05-19 09:10, interchange reference AH00000812.
• UNH+1+ORDERS:D:01B — ORDERS message compliant with EANCOM 2002 (D:01B = directory January 2001 batch B).
• BGM+220 — Begin Message, code 220 = firm order. AH number AH-NL-2026-000812, code 9 = original.
• DTM+137 / DTM+2 — Issue date (19/05) and requested delivery date (21/05) in CCYYMMDD format (qualifier 102).
• RFF+CT — Reference to the Verkoopvereenkomst framework contract (ref. AH-VTR-2026-Q2-0091).
• NAD+BY / +SU / +DP — Buyer (AH purchaser), Supplier (vendor), Delivery party (Zaandam DC warehouse 8710400099970).
• LIN / QTY / PRI — 3 lines: 480 units at 0.89 €, 192 at 1.45 €, 144 at 2.99 €. EAN-13 product code.
• UNS+S — Section control summary.
• CNT+2:3 — Count: 3 lines.
• UNT / UNZ — Message + interchange trailers.

DESADV, SSCC and GS1-128 palletisation

The DESADV (Despatch Advice) is the despatch notice sent by the supplier after order preparation. It contains:

• SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code): unique identifier of the logistic unit (pallet, container). 18 digits, encoded in GS1-128 on the logistic label.
• Packaging hierarchy via CPS (Consignment Packing Sequence) and PAC (Package) segments.
• Reference to the order (RFF+ON) for automatic reconciliation on the retailer's platform.

UNB+UNOC:3+8710624000000:14+8710400099963:14+260521:1620+JUM000412'
UNH+1+DESADV:D:01B:UN:EAN005'
BGM+351+DES-NL-2026-000412+9'
DTM+137:20260521:102'
DTM+11:20260521:102'
RFF+ON:AH-NL-2026-000812'
NAD+SU+8710624000000::9'
NAD+BY+8710400099963::9'
NAD+DP+8710400099970::9'
CPS+1'
PAC+24'
PCI+33E+008710624000000412:SSCC'
LIN+1++8710624123456:EN'
QTY+12:480'
LIN+2++8710624234567:EN'
QTY+12:192'
LIN+3++8710624345678:EN'
QTY+12:144'
UNS+S'
CNT+2:3'
UNT+18+1'
UNZ+1+JUM000412'

Upon reception at the distribution centre, the operator scans the GS1-128 SSCC label. The system automatically reconciles the DESADV with the RECADV, handling discrepancies (missing quantities, non-compliant batches).

Dutch EDI networks and providers

Picnic — the digital-native retail case

Founded in Amersfoort in 2015, Picnic has become in less than 10 years the 4th Dutch retailer by revenue (~3.8% market share in 2024). Its specificity:

• 100% delivery model — no physical stores, ~95 "hubs" of which the ~50 largest are in the Netherlands.
• API-first supplier platform — Picnic offers a modern REST API for its recent suppliers (~30%) in addition to classic EDIFACT for its legacy suppliers (~70%).
• Hybrid EDIFACT + JSON API — each supplier chooses. Invoicing remains largely in INVOIC, with a PEPPOL migration underway.
• Daily replenishment cadence — ~3-4 ORDERS per day per supplier, vs. 1-2/week for Albert Heijn or Jumbo.

Volumes and market share

The 900 M figure cited at the start counts only "active chain messages" — ORDERS + DESADV + INVOIC. ORDRSP/RECADV are automatically generated acknowledgments.

EDIFACT and PEPPOL coexistence

Dutch large retail is going through a long but inevitable transition:

• 2017-2023: EDIFACT INVOIC dominant for invoicing, PEPPOL marginal (mainly used for B2G).
• 2024-2026: accelerated INVOIC → PEPPOL UBL migration at the leading chains (AH, Jumbo). Suppliers use an EDIFACT ↔ UBL mapper via their AP (Tradeshift, Pagero).
• 2027-2030: ViDA DRR intra-EU anticipation — all foreign suppliers of AH/Jumbo mandatorily switch to PEPPOL for cross-border invoices. EDIFACT survives for ORDERS/DESADV/RECADV (pure logistics).

See ViDA NL page for the full analysis.

Cross-links

• Netherlands hub
• Simplerinvoicing CIUS NL
• NL automotive EDIFACT
• NL BTW regimes
• NL ViDA roadmap
• GS1 Nederland — official site
• GS1 NL — EANCOM
• GS1 Global — EANCOM