Belgian retailer Colruyt is reportedly set to open 18 to 20 stores in Belgium this year, according to its chief executive, Jef Colruyt.
Barclays European Food Retail Equity Research reported an interview that Colruyt gave with Les Echos, in which he stated that he believes that the Belgian market is not yet saturated, and that there is room for 30 to 40 more Colruyt stores, and as many as 80 additional Okay convenience stores.
The recent sale of its PRO à PRO business to Metro Group is also likely to assist with the opening of seven to ten stores in eastern France, where the retailer has an operation, however, it does not expect to expand beyond this area.
Barclays also reported Colruyt as stating that if Ahold Delhaize achieves better buying terms from its suppliers, the retailer will ask for rebates to ‘line up’ with its competitor’s buying conditions.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
