Belgian supermarket chain Colruyt has opened a a grocery pick-up point without cars or even a store called Walk-in Collect&Go in Brussels. Adapted to the needs of urban locals, the pick-up point is exclusively reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.
Access on foot or by bike
Specially designed for city dwellers who come to collect their groceries on foot or by bike, the Collect&Go Walk-in does not have a car park. The collection point is not located near a supermarket either. Cyclists can access the pick-up point, located in the rue Américaine, where they can transfer their online purchases into their own bags. At the collection point, they can also borrow a cargo bike for free. The 75 sqm walk-in store even features a recycling point, so customers can leave their plastic and cardboard packaging there.
The actual grocery products, which come from the nearby Colruyt in Etterbeek or Bio-Planet Nossegem, are brought to the collection point by bicycle couriers. A previous trial was carried out at Place Flagey, but the range available there proved insufficient. By ordering from the Etterbeek and Nossegem shops, customers can now choose from some 16,000 items.
Less car traffic
With this new concept, Colruyt wants to become more accessible to an urban public. “The Colruyt and Bio-Planet shops, and therefore also the adjacent Collect&Go collection points, are now mainly located on the outskirts of the city and are aimed more at customers who come by car,” Tom De Prater, Collect&Go manager, explains.
The Brussels-Capital Region supports this initiative because it also encourages more sustainable travel. “About 13 % of Brussels residents travel to do their shopping. Encouraging people to do their shopping in a sustainable way is therefore essential to improve the quality of life in the city”, Christophe Vanoerbeek, general manager of Brussels Mobility, explains.
