Bio-Planet Kortrijk opens its doors at a new location

On Wednesday 21 November, Bio-Planet Kortrijk will move from Brugsesteenweg to a brand new and environmentally-friendly building on the Burgemeester Vercruysselaan, about 500 meters away. Almost 20 years ago, Bio-Planet Kortrijk was the first organic supermarket to open its doors in Belgium. Once again, the people of Kortrijk will get a first: meat, cheese and veggie, sliced and packaged on-site and available from the self-service display. In the spring of 2019, the first Colruyt Group Academy of West Flanders will open in the same building.

November 20, 2018

New: meat, cheese and veggie from the self-service display

Bio-Planet Kortrijk - the first ever Bio-Planet - has another first. At the new location, the familiar service counter will make way for a new formula. Meat, cheese and veggie products are sliced, prepared and packaged in handy portions, on-site by in-house experts and are available from the self-service display. "The biggest difference? Our customers can choose the quantity they need and can immediately see the price on the packaging. This allows them to do their shopping faster, more efficiently and more independently”, says Jo Ghilain, business unit manager of Bio-Planet. "In addition, all the ingredients, nutritional values and allergens are listed on the label. This is in response to the trend among consumers who are increasingly looking for more extensive product information."

In addition to self-service, the Bio-Planet staff will of course be at hand to help with any specific wishes and give advice to the customer. "We are combining the advantages of self-service with those of our traditional service counter. This will bring our service and the quality of our products to a new level”, says Jo Ghilain.

Most sustainable packaging

Bio-Planet has consciously opted for using sustainable packaging for optimum recycling. For example, the packaging is composed of more than 90% paper fibres, so that it can be recycled together with paper and cardboard. "We decided to choose a cardboard packaging with a very thin plastic film, because this is currently the most sustainable packaging on the market that is suitable for us. In addition, these packs offer an extra advantage: the products remain fresh for longer and can therefore be kept for longer by customers. And that in turn has a positive impact on food waste."

Belgium's first organic supermarket

Bio-Planet Kortrijk was Colruyt Group's very first organic supermarket in 2001. Covering an area of 1,000 m², it was at that time a first for Belgium, where the market mainly consisted of local shops. "We are very proud of the transformation that we at Bio-Planet have experienced since then. Today we have no less than 28 stores and are continuously on the look-out for new locations", says Jo Ghilain. "We also stay up to date: we are environmentally-conscious and energy-efficient, whilst still offering a unique range of over 6,000 products in line with the needs of modern consumers. The fact that we are breathing new life into our first store with a new concept, is a symbolic moment for us."

Bio-Planet Kortrijk is located opposite the former Sint-Maarten hospital campus. The store was built using sustainable techniques and materials; and with a roof area covering of 888 m², it is currently top of the leaderboard in terms of size. The fresh produce and the self-service display are cooled using an environmentally-friendly propane cooling system. The ventilation system recovers 75 % of the heat in the air. We make maximum use of daylight via skylights in the roof, while LED lighting reduces energy consumption by 30%. There is also a buffer for rainwater, to ensure optimum recycling and reuse, for example, for cleaning.

Inspirational workshops

In the spring of 2019, the first Colruyt Group Academy of West Flanders will open on the first floor in the same building. This will be a meeting place for individuals and groups to attend inspiring workshops

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