Bio-Planet Braine-l’Alleud shows new store concept for the first time

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Bulk sales and coriander from vertical farming

"In Braine, we continue the path of shopping with less packaging, where customers fill their own containers with bulk products," says store manager Olivier Verzwymelen. "We keep the furniture we launched at the end of 2019 in Corbais with about 25 kinds of nuts, cereals and dried fruit. On top of that, we also offer three varieties of coffee beans, original coffees from Nicaragua, Ethiopia and Colombia."
​ The store is the first one to show a new Ecotap refill station with products for laundry, dishes and cleaning, to be filled in bottles customers buy once. Later on, customers will be able to buy care products in the same way.
​ The sustainable coriander plants, grown in the 'vertical farm' in Halle, are another first. This vertically built indoor plantation requires 20 times less room and 90% less water than the classic culture and runs entirely on green electricity. Since all conditions are perfectly under control, the quality remains the same all year long. "We are convinced that the coriander will have the same success as our basil plants, which are on sale since March 2020," says Bio-Planet manager Jan Van Holsbeke.

Sustainable store concept

When designing the store, Bio-Planet went for maximum sustainability. "We are very proud of the brand-new greenhouse for fresh fruit and vegetables," Olivier Verzwymelen explains. "The greenhouse is connected with the refrigerated freshmarket with dairy products, cold cuts and cheese and benefits from the cold flowing through. Without using extra energy, we reach a temperature of 9 °C and a humidity of 75% in the greenhouse, the best storage conditions allowing us to counter food waste."

Furthermore, Bio-Planet is testing vegetable panels of the Belgian start-up Circular Matters for the store's interior. The strong, 100% recyclable panels are made of fibre and a binding agent made of residual flows from agriculture and the food industry. Some of the furniture is finished with circular panels of recycled wood, made by Belgian Unilin.

Finally, the store in Braine takes over many sustainable elements Bio-Planet already applied. Think of the 30% more economical led lighting and the propane refrigeration. During its entire life, this installation emits about 90% less greenhouse gasses than classic refrigeration systems.

Renewing assortment

Braine is the first Bio-Planet store with its own bakery. Store manager Olivier Verzwymelen: "We bake about ten organic products from our loyal supplier Atelier du pain: bread, baguettes and pastries. And since we want to show this off, our customers can follow the baking process through a transparent wall." In the bread corner, they can now also find traditional pastries, from fruit cakes to crumble and brownies, they can take away in handy, biodegradable boxes.

The service counter was expanded and has room for over 350 kinds of meat, cheese, cold cuts, veggie and vegan. The counter also has about fifty kinds of pre-packed meat and cheese products, mentioning the price, allergens and nutritional values on the packaging. Olivier Verzwymelen: "With this combination, we offer self-service for people who want to shop fast or keep their products a little longer at home and on the other hand, we offer excellent personal service, advice by our experts and portioning on demand."
​ Finally: if you wanted to surprise someone, you could always find inspiration at Bio-Planet, but in Braine, you can even find flowers and original gift baskets.

First own pick-up point for online orders

The store is the first Bio-Planet establishment with its own pick-up points for orders in the Bio-Planet web shop, placed by means of the Collect&Go platform. Until now, customers could only pick up online orders in about 130 pick-up points in Colruyt store. However, they can now do so in their own familiar Bio-Planet. "Handy," says store manager Olivier Verzwymelen. "If an ordered product is unavailable, our co-workers will suggest a suitable alternative. And if someone forgot to order something, he can simply get it from the store."

Recycle, inform, inspire

Bio-Planet takes its leadership in sustainable entrepreneurship and wants to inform and inspire its customers to consume more consciously. "In this respect, we have taken some fine steps in the new store," says  manager Jan Van Holsbeke. There is a recycling hub at the store's entrance where customers can drop off their used batteries, Brita filters and plastic foil. The new shopping baskets are made of recycled ocean plastics such as used fishing nets.

Transparent communication to its customers is very important to Bio-Planet. That is why it explains the most important sustainability initiatives on information panels. Digital screens at the checkout and the service counter draw customers' attention to product information, actions and recipes. The price labels clearly indicate the Nutri-Score and whether the products are gluten-free, lactose-free or vegan. There are also three tablets, with which customers can scan articles and look for product information, and at the entrance, they can find much information such as folders, pockets, newspapers and recipes of the month.

As from Friday, you can ask photos of Bio-Planet Braine at Colruyt Group's press office.

Bio-Planet Braine-l’Alleud
​ Chaussée d’Alsemberg 437
​ 1420 Braine-l’Alleud

17 co-workers

Surface 648 m²

Collect&Go pick-up point for reservations at the Bio-Planet web shop

62 parking places and 14 bicycle places

Tel.: +32 2 384 47 71

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, from 8.30 am to 7.30 pm.

Contact

Silja Decock, Colruyt Group press officer
​ Tel.: +32 (0)473 92 45 10 or +32 (0)2 363 55 45
​ E-mail: [email protected]