Colruyt Group pushes its city ambition further by opening first Okay City store

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Today, the first store under the Okay City banner opens on Grote Steenweg in Antwerp (Berchem). This marks the rebranding of the former Okay Compact, making it clear: this is a store tailored for the city customer. All 20 Okay Compact stores will switch to Okay City this year, and dozens of more Okay City stores will be added in the coming years. This aligns with Colruyt Group's ambition to increase its market share in cities from 20% to 30%.

Open 7 days a week

From today, customers of Okay Compact in Antwerp will be shopping at Okay City. The latter is Colruyt Group's city formula. Christophe Dehandschutter, director of Okay, says: "The population in cities continues to grow, and we observe that urban residents shop differently. For urban customers, the location of the store plays the most crucial role in deciding where to do their shopping: a store must be nearby and easily accessible, whether on foot or by bike."

Colruyt Group opened the first Okay Compact in 2012. Since then, the formula has expanded to 20 stores, all situated in city centres, and is poised for substantial growth. By 2026, there will be 30 Okay City stores, and Colruyt Group sees potential for dozens of more stores in city centres in the coming years. The focus is primarily on expansion in Antwerp, Brussels, and Ghent, with plans for Ostend and a second store in Liège as well.

Christophe Dehandschutter adds: "Colruyt Group is market leader in Belgium, holding a market share of over 30%. In cities however, this figure is lower, around 20%. The ambition is clear: we aim to increase our market share in cities from 20% to at least 30%. We will achieve this with the various formulas of Colruyt Group, including Colruyt Lowest Prices, Collect&Go, Okay, Okay Direct and Okay City. This ensures we have a formula tailored for each neighbourhood and its residents. Okay City plays a significant role in city centres, having been developed into a store designed specifically for the urban customer: easily accessible, with a carefully selected assortment, budget-friendly, and open 7 days a week."
​

3,000 products tailored for the city customer’s needs

Okay City is not only easily accessible and open every day, but it also allows customers to shop smoothly and efficiently. Okay City offers a thoughtfully curated assortment of 3,000 products within a retail space of 400m². The assortment includes everything needed for daily shopping, from fresh products to detergents and beverages. For fresh products like vegetables, fruits, and cheeses, we ensure ultra-freshness and high quality. Customers will also find freshly prepared meals and meal components, along with freshly baked bread, white bread rolls and pastries. Additionally, essential for a city store, there are on-the-go products, such as beverages for on the move, filled sandwiches and salads. Okay City features high-quality products from BON, in which Colruyt Group recently acquired a stake.

Christophe Dehandschutter states: "After location, price is a significant factor for city residents when choosing a shop. At Okay City, we guarantee our customers the lowest prices in the neighbourhood and closely monitor the promotions of our local competitors to adjust accordingly. Moreover, we tailor our promotions to suit the preferences of our urban customers. In cities, shopping is often done on foot or by bike, making a promotion on a single item is a logical choice."

All Okay City shops will be equipped with self-checkout options within a few months. Customers will, however, always have the choice between self-checkout and the traditional system where their purchases are processed by a store employee.