After a period of growth through acquisitions, Biotope, the parent company of the organic chains Färm and Ekoplaza, wants to open additional stores in Belgium.
Growth potential
So far, the company’s growth has mainly come from acquisitions, such as those of local organic chains Origin’O or Biostory, but now the group wants to refocus on store openings, says Alexis Descampe, retail director Belgium at Biotope, to business nesspaper L’Echo. He does not want to disclose specific figures yet: by the end of this year, the growth plan will be further developed.
Meanwhile, two more stores of the organic chain Sequoia are being converted to the Färm brand: these are the locations in Waver and Ixelles. Färm currently has 33 stores, of which 10 are franchised. Although the focus is on the French-speaking region, the chain also has three locations in Flanders: in Overijse, Wemmel, and Leuven. Two stores operate under the Brüt by Färm formula, a concept with a more pronounced market appeal. Ekoplaza has 7 stores in Flanders. Descampe sees potential for the organic sector to exceed the threshold of 4 to 5% market share.
