1 March 2007 - On Wednesday 28 February, the Belgian Group Colruyt opens its first biological supermarket Bio-Planet in Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
Bio-Planet is a unique concept: a supermarket with an extensive range of exclusively biological and ecological products.
Stimulated by the constantly growing turnover figures in the three Belgian Bio-Planet branches (in Kortrijk, Gent and Dilbeek); opened respectively in 2001, 2002 and 2005, the Group Colruyt now wishes to introduce this formula on the Dutch market as well.
That we chose the Netherlands and more specifically Eindhoven is not a coincidence. Apart from the fact that Dutch people are open to organic products, there are a number of practical advantages as compared with the other (neighbouring) countries: the common language and the geographic proximity. Eindhoven is not so far away from Belgium and that is an advantage in the field of logistics, but at the level of mentality as well. Furthermore, Eindhoven is a great, progressive university town with a population profile that largely corresponds with our target audience ('the conscious consumer').
Bio-Planet: positive results
In the past year, the turnover of Bio-Planet increased with 16 % as compared to 2005. The number of customers increased with 7 % and the purchase average per customer with about 9 %.
The Netherlands also have a market for organic products: 80 % of the Dutch households is part of the 'light users', people who are interested in biological products and buy them once in a while. It is this group in particular that is open to the 'supermarket formula'.
Bio for everybody
Bio-Planet wants to bring organically grown food within everybody's reach. In the first place by offering the widest assortment possible in the stores. Secondly by offering biological products at a fair price.
Many products at Bio-Planet have prices that are close to the level of their conventional counterparts. With our Budget range (especially selected basic products with guaranteed biological quality at very keen prices) we prove that biological products do not always have to be more expensive.
100 % biological and ecological
Bio-Planet offers some 5000 different products, all guaranteed 100 % biological or ecological (all food products have an officially recognised bio label): every day we offer fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, dairy products, dry food, groceries, drinks, etc. We also have a department of fresh products in service with a vast range of meat, cheese, vegetarian specialities and many preparations.
In the wide non-food assortment, the customer can find toys, biological textile, ecological household products, skin-friendly make-up, books and CD's, etc.
Clear information
The staff in the Bio-Planet stores received a special training course so that they can provide expert advice. Thanks to the detailed price labels and numerous information boards above the racks, Bio-Planet customers can make their choice expertly. And on the website the customer can find a treasure of information.
Environment-friendly all the way
Bio-Planet focuses on respect for the environment. Whenever it is practically and financially feasible, we always choose the most environment-friendly solution: work clothes for our staff are made of organically grown cotton, the paint we use to decorate the stores is completely biodegradable and the material used to fit up the stores is recovered as much as possible (a/o floor and lighting are reused), all packaging (a/o bags in the cooled fresh products room) are made on a maize starch base which makes them 100 % biodegradable, and so on. Bio-Planet also takes several energy-saving measures, which is why we use closed chest-type freezers and a cooled fresh products room.