Jumbo trials "Belgian" concept in Dutch store

Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo had announced to want to conquer Belgium with “a concept that was as of yet unheard of”. Last week, it opened a pilot store thay may give an idea of the company’s “Belgian concept”.

Catering expertise

The supermarket combines catering elements with even more space for fresh produce: are these the weapons the Dutch company announced last month? Last Wednesday, in the municipality of Beilen, in the north of the Netherlands, a supermarket in line with the new concept opened: the shop provides even more space for fresh produce, including extensive fruit and vegetables and pastries departments, among other things.

This could be the forerunner of what the retailer is going to launch in Belgium: a pragmatic cross between a Jumbo Food Market (a large supermarket concept with show cooking elements) and a Jumbo City (the urban concept that focuses on convenience and fresh ‘food to go’). The most striking addition is that of a Foodcafé: a catering facility where customers can enjoy a coffee, sandwiches and fresh snacks. Jumbo has a great deal of expertise in the hotel and catering industry, since the company took over restaurant chain La Place.

The merging of the hospitality and retail sectors is a trend to which various retailers in Belgium are also responding: Delhaize has its Fresh Atelier concept, while Carrefour has a Café concept that is now being rolled out to more hypermarkets and supermarkets. The way in which Jumbo is interpreting this trend, seems to be a different approach.

Some pictures of the new store can be seen here. The first Belgian Jumbo will open on 6 November in Pelt.