On October 23, 2024, Colruyt Group announced that they had reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Delitraiteur NV ("Delitraiteur"), which was part of Louis Delhaize. The acquisition aligns with the Belgian retailer's strategic objectives and also enables significant growth in offering more convenience to consumers. Today, Colruyt Group has received approval from the Belgian Competition Authority to acquire all stores of Delitraiteur.
Johan Vermeire, General Manager B2B Food Retail at Colruyt Group: “We are pleased that, as of today, we can officially consider Delitraiteur part of Colruyt Group. Delitraiteur is a valuable addition to our group and also a perfect match: both Colruyt Group and Delitraiteur are Belgian companies that strongly focus on innovation and put both customers and employees first. In addition, Delitraiteur is highly complementary to our other formats and the acquisition therefore fits seamlessly into our growth strategy. By acquiring Delitraiteur, Colruyt Group can focus even more on its convenience offering, with ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat meals, and we are immediately taking a meaningful step in expanding our presence in urban areas.”
In recent years, Colruyt Group has already made strong efforts to expand the convenience offer for customers. The retail group operates Okay Direct stores that are open 24/7, has the ambition to open dozens of Okay City stores in urban areas and recently announced its intention to open all Okay stores on Sundays. The product range has also evolved towards more convenience, on the one hand by expanding the assortment and on the other hand through investments and acquisitions of players that prioritise convenience, such as BON and now Delitraiteur.
Delitraiteur stores are open 7 days a week and specialise in meal solutions, offering more than 200 freshly prepared dishes. Each year 50 recipes are reviewed and updated where necessary as part of a continuous focus on culinary innovation to meet evolving consumer tastes. In addition to this unique meal offering, Delitraiteur provides a wide range of food products, including 65% fresh produce, more than 1,000 Belgian products and 2,000 exclusive articles.
Today Delitraiteur has 40 stores in Belgium and one in Luxembourg, all but three of which are operated by independent entrepreneurs. All these stores will be acquired by Colruyt Group. The management and employees will remain on board. Delitraiteur's stores will continue to operate as customers know them today. Johan Vermeire: “Customers will notice little difference from this acquisition today, as they will still be able to shop at their trusted Delitraiteur. That said, Dellitraiteur will of course adopt certain practices from Colruyt Group and vice versa – we aim to learn from one another, reinforce one another and grow together. What that will mean in concrete terms is something we are now working hard on.”
As a result of the acquisition, the transaction has now been fully completed, and Delitraiteur will be fully consolidated into Colruyt Group’s financial reporting as from June.
