Our strategy focuses on long-term value creation. We are convinced that economic and sustainability returns go hand in hand and we report transparently on both our financial and ESG results. We invest continuously in our core business activities in order to maintain and improve our operational and financial performance. This allows us to consistently offer our shareholders attractive returns and to continue investing in innovations that contribute to social returns
We target annual average organic revenue growth (excluding tobacco) over the economic cycle of around 3%, assuming an inflation rate of around 1.5%. We expect to accelerate our growth through acquisitions, although this growth will be more sudden and sporadic in nature. We will strive to increase profitability over the next few years and reach EBITDA of 7.5% of revenue.
Given the current level of fragmentation of the Dutch food service market, further acquisition opportunities are likely to arise in the coming years, whereby we will primarily target relatively large players, as the benefits of an acquisition need to outweigh the complexity of the integration. In Belgium, where the food service landscape is even more fragmented, we aim to achieve a leading position in the food service market through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions. Our focus for the coming years will be on these two countries.