Focus on fresh products and daily fresh bread
Thanks to the fresh and modern interior, customers of OKay Begijnendijk can find their way even more easily in the wide range of super fresh products. "In the new freshmart for instance, our broad supply of fresh fruit and vegetables can stand out completely," says store manager Karina Bosmans. "We placed extra refrigeration units just outside the freshmart to showcase our tapas, cold cuts and pastries even better."
At OKay Begijnendijk, fresh bread is delivered every day and store co-workers bake off high-quality rolls and pastries on the spot. "They are neatly displayed in our renewed bread unit now. Much handier for our customers," Karina Bosmans explains. The freezer department was also tackled. "We installed freezers with glass covers so our customers can easily find their favourite products."
Top team from the region
All these novelties and improvements will contribute to a more pleasant shopping experience and make shopping even easier. But the biggest asset of OKay Begijnendijk is undoubtedly the wonderful team of store co-workers. "Every day, I can count on a great team of 13 motivated co-workers," says Karina Bosmans. "A top team. They all live in the region around Begijnendijk and to them, customer-friendliness, a good service and helpfulness come first." Some of these co-workers have been part of the close-knit team ever since the opening in 2007; Natalya for instance: "In all these years, I have seen many changes of course. Improvements mostly: checkout systems, shopping trolleys, a better product range and a broader choice for our customers. Our working clothes have been modernised a few times as well. And I am looking forward to another new outfit. And to our renovated store of course!"
Easy to reach by car and bicycle
OKay Begijnendijk is located practically along a major access road and yet close to the village centre: easily reachable for everyone. The village centre of Begijnendijk was recently renovated and the renovation of the OKay store fits in perfectly with that overall picture. The car park still has room for 53 cars, but the bicycle shed has been expanded considerably: from 22 to 38 places. This means it has become even easier to come shopping by bicycle.
Minimum environmental impact
Like the other Colruyt Group store formats, OKay attaches great importance to building sustainably and with a minimum ecological footprint. "At OKay Begijnendijk, we do not use fossil fuels," says Karina Bosmans. "The refrigeration system works on propane, a natural coolant that is much environment-friendlier than chemical coolants. This reduces CO₂ emissions by 90% compared to a classic cooling system. Moreover, the heat released by the refrigeration system is recovered to warm up the store."
The sustainable paint used for the store's front breaks down pollutants in the air. Under the influence of sunlight, this paint converts nitrogen oxides, ozone and harmful organic substances into nitrate and oxygen. The rain dissolves and washes away the nitrates.
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