Jumbo accelerates Belgian expansion

On Wednesday morning, Jumbo opened a new supermarket in Menen: the eighth in the province of West Flanders, the 42nd in Belgium. With five store openings already this year, Flemish expansion is progressing well for the Dutch chain.

Focus on local products

The new supermarket at Ieperstraat 311 in Menen measures 1,500 m² and offers parking for some 400 cars. Customers are welcome seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Colruyt, Lidl and Carrefour Market supermarkets are also located on the same road. The store is operated by entrepreneur Sebastien Sintobin, who also runs the successful Jumbo in nearby Lauwe. He wants to focus on local collaborations and products from his own region.

Earlier this year, Jumbo already opened new supermarkets in Boom, Tienen, Genk and Maasmechelen. With five store openings already, the retailer is maintaining a higher expansion rate in Belgium than last year, when only four additional stores opened. Another new store will open in Beringen in October, while in Ingelmunster the permit is also in. In Genk, however, the retailer is facing a problem: there, the Council for Permit Disputes has annulled the permit of the supermarket opened on July 2. The future of the establishment is thus suddenly highly uncertain.